A dumpster diving session behind a plant nursery turned into a rescue mission when a gardener found plants and other discarded items that were still worth saving.
What happened?
In a Reddit post, the gardener said they live near a Calloway's Nursery and decided to look inside its dumpster for the first time. What they saw surprised them.
The original poster said, "Everything changed once I took a peek!! I saw a pot of gold!"
Before taking anything, the gardener went into the store to check with a nursery employee whether they could snag the discarded items. The staff member said that was fine but asked them to return after closing so other customers would not think the dumpster was open for anyone to search through.
Among the rescued items were hibiscus, mulberry, and plant pots.
A few of the plants had minor fungus or pests, the gardener said, so they quarantined them for treatment. The OP hoped to revive as many as possible before giving some away to co-workers and their mom.
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Why does it matter?
In this case, plants and pots that would have ended up in the landfill instead got a second chance to thrive.
Much like shopping secondhand, dumpster diving can save money on everyday necessities, whether that means pots, soil containers, or starter plants for a yard or balcony. It can also lead to rare and valuable finds at steep discounts, or, in some cases, for free. Just keep in mind that some areas have laws against dumpster diving.
Gardening can get expensive quickly, so any chances to cut costs while reducing waste can make the hobby more accessible. Keeping healthy or recoverable plants in use helps reduce unnecessary disposal and makes better use of the water, energy, and labor that went into growing them.
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