NIPOMO, Calif. – One of the top providers of blooming potted plants to grocery stores across the country has partnered with eco-friendly manufacturer TerraCycle to use upcycled tubs as planting pots for seasonal flowers. Clearwater Nursery, Inc. will use 45 oz. Unilever Spreads tubs like I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!®, Brummel & Brown®, Shedd’s Spread Country Crock® and Imperial® rather than the standard black plastic pots made from virgin materials starting with the Fall 2011 season. These unique items will be available to purchase by major grocery store chains.
TerraCycle collected these tubs through its Brigade™ program. With support from its partners, such as Unilever, TerraCycle pays all postage and awards two points per unit of packaging which can be put toward charity gifts or converted to money for a charity of the collector’s choice. These items will be upcycled into affordable, eco-friendly products. When consumers are done with the Clearwater Planting tubs, they can send them back to TerraCycle to be upcycled again through the Spreads Brigade.
“At Clearwater Nursery, we’re constantly striving to reduce our impact on the environment through traditional means like water conservation and energy reduction, but also in creative ways like biodegradable packaging and compostable care tags,” said Steven Medeiros, Clearwater Nursery marketing executive. “This innovative arrangement with TerraCycle allows us to avoid using standard pots made from virgin plastic while engaging and educating consumers in the floral section of their grocery stores.”
Grocery retailers or floral department managers who are interested in this program for their stores should contact Clearwater Nursery at www.clearwaternursery.com.
People who are interested in getting involved with TerraCycle’s Brigades which divert packaging waste from landfills and help raise consumer awareness about reducing, reusing and recycling should sign up today at www.terracycle.net.
About Clearwater Nursery
Clearwater Nursery, Inc. is a major provider of blooming potted plants in this country, operating over 1,000,000 square feet of controlled climate greenhouses on 80 acres of land on the central coast of California over the last 25 years. Annually, Clearwater Nursery ships millions of potted plants throughout the country, with longstanding relationships at Safeway, Kroger, Costco and many of the smaller regional chains. In the last two years Clearwater Nursery has led the industry in sustainability with its trademarked program "Earth Friendly Solutions”. This unique line includes biodegradable pots; packaging material approved by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative; bio-based compos-table packaging and care tags. For more info, visit http://www.clearwaternursery.com/index.htm.
About TerraCycle
TerraCycle, Inc. is an international upcycling and recycling company that takes difficult to recycle packaging and turns it into affordable, eco-friendly products. Founded in 2001, TerraCycle is the world’s leader in the collection and reuse of non-recyclable post-consumer waste. TerraCycle works with over 30 major brands in the U.S. (and in a growing number of other countries) to collect used packaging and products (chip bags, candy wrappers, juice pouches, pens, toothbrushes, etc.) that would otherwise be destined for landfills. It repurposes that waste into new eco-friendly materials and products that are available online and through major retailers. The waste is collected through TerraCycle’s Brigade® programs, which are free fundraisers that pay schools and non-profits for every piece of waste they collect and return. For information on how to join a TerraCycle Brigade and on purchasing TerraCycle products please visit us at www.terracycle.net.
CONTACTS: Lauren Taylor, TerraCycle, 609.393.4252 x3705,Lauren@terracycle.net
Clearwater Nursery, Steven Medeiros, 805-723-1360, steven.medeiros@clearwater.com
Source: Clearwater Nursery
