If you're hoping to get a program off the ground, be sure to look at this one first. They've learned much by trial and error, refining both the actual recycling process and the collection system over the years.

In addition to accepting trays and pots from anyone (including growers and landscapers) willing to drop them off at the Missouri Botanical Garden, they now have 12 trailers placed at seven garden centers (they'll be adding three more in 2009 at a cost of about $8,000 apiece) in the area.

Consumers separate their plastics into appropriate bins in the trailer, and participating garden centers agree to haul the trailer to the recycling center when full, picking up an empty trailer for a quick return.

Pots get ground by plastic type—polyethylene #2, polypropylene #5, and polystyrene #6 (cells and trays). The resulting plastic chips are funneled into boxes that are shipped to a plant for reuse. Until recently, the plastic was being turned into landscape timbers locally and the botanical garden was able to then sell the timbers. With a change in ownership at the local plant, they're now shipping the plastic chips elsewhere but hope to renegotiate a working relationship for timbers or similar product.

The $90,000 machine for grinding, shown above, was purchased with the help of grants, including one from Monrovia, which is a strong supporter of the program.