Recycling Containers to Aid Customers
Plant purchasers are increasingly interested in aiding the
environment. Many of our behavioral studies ask them what they do or want to do
to aid the environment while gardening or landscaping. Over the years,
recycling has been identified as a top priority among plant purchasers, along
with planting environmentally advantageous plants (e.g., pollinator friendly,
drought tolerant, and low input plants). Recycling is an attractive option
because it is something that customers can semi-passively participate in rather
than changing their plant preferences. They simply need to set the containers
aside after planting and then recycle them. However, many recycling facilities
are unable to recycle plant containers. The disconnect between customers
believing they can recycle containers and the ability of recycling facilities
to process those containers is an opportunity for retail garden centers. If
garden centers educate customers about this disconnect, they can then provide a
solution. One option is to encourage customers to bring the containers back to
the retail center and the retail center facilitates recycling. There are some
advantages to this strategy. First, customers are more aware of what can and
cannot be recycled. Second, customers gain an opportunity to aid the
environment through recycling containers. Third, customers are encouraged to
repeatedly visit the garden center to recycle those containers. Lastly, there
is potential for the garden center to reuse those containers if it aligns with their
production and business strategies. Prior to offering this service, it is
important to identify a recycling facility that can recycle those pots, ensure
the pots used are recyclable or reusable, and address other logistic challenges
(e.g., shipping, labor costs, etc.) and how does this align with the garden
center’s mission. Overall, based on consumer feedback, there is potential to
position the garden center as aiding the environment by facilitating recycling
of plant containers.
Alicia L. Rihn
Assistant Professor, University of TennesseeAlicia has been at the University of Tennessee since July 2020. Her area of expertise is in marketing and consumer behavior with an emphasis on ornamental horticulture products. She also addresses niche markets, value-added ag, willingness-to-pay, and promotional strategies to encourage plant purchasing behavior.
