As we get closer to spring and summer, it's time to start thinking about all the wonderful produce you can grow at home.
Sure, when you think about buying pots, seeds, and plant food, the idea of gardening starts sounding expensive and a little bit too complicated.
But one sustainability expert on Instagram has shown her followers that gardening doesn't have to cause a headache. Chances are, you already have a lot of the items you need to start your own gardening project.
Sharing a Reel, Sabrina (@sabrina.sustainable.life) shows one way of reusing old plastic food containers to start seeds and help them grow.
The scoop
After popping some soil in the bottom and spraying it with water to make the soil moist, Sabrina adds the seeds and places the plastic lid over the top. She then cuts to later, showing that the seeds have grown into tiny plants.
Accompanying the video, Sabrina advises her followers to "use what you have first" when gardening in order to reduce waste and promote sustainable living.
How it's helping
By finding another purpose for old plastic containers, Sabrina extends the life of the plastic and diverts it from landfills. Plastic waste is a huge contributor to environmental issues, as 79% of it is sent to landfills or to the ocean. Additionally, another 12% gets incinerated, which releases harmful gases into the atmosphere.
It's not just the atmosphere, though. When it comes to plastic waste, many ocean animals and plants are also harmed by the huge amounts discarded into our environment every year. According to Eunomia, this figure stands at roughly 13.2 million tons, with 100,000 marine mammals and turtles dying from plastic trash each year.
Reducing our reliance on plastic and reusing the products we already have is one simple way of lessening the impact our actions have on the ocean. Plus, it'll also save you money and, in this case, help you grow some tasty crops for the summer months.
What everyone's saying
Other gardeners shared their thoughts on the video, praising Sabrina for her clever hack.
"Love this idea," one commenter writes, while another adds, "Great idea."
Gardening is a great hobby to pick up thanks to its sustainability, and there are many hacks out there to keep it cheap and simple. From reusing plastic like Sabrina to using cattle fencing to make an arch trellis to relying on trap crops over chemical pesticides, there are so many clever hacks to ensure you get a beautiful garden.
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