East Jordan Plastics

Plant trays, hanging baskets, and pots are often considered hard-to-recycle plastics. If they aren’t landfilled, these products are often “downcycled” into pipes and drain tiles using thermal and chemical recycling techniques. East Jordan Plastics (EJP), a family-owned manufacturer of horticulture containers, often called nursery pots and trays, demonstrates that there are other uses for these plastics. 

Since 1947, East Jordan has committed to recycling a variety of horticulture plastics at their South Haven facility. Employees collect trays, baskets, and plastic plant pots from growers around the state to be incorporated into new products, which are then delivered to farmers, greenhouses, and distributors. Not only does EJP create a closed-loop system within their own product lines, but they also collect horticulture plastics made by other brands, diverting even more materials away from Michigan landfills.

Of all the material EJP uses in their facilities, 75% is recycled content! This isn’t just limited to black containers, which are the most common container color and thus the easiest to collect and recycle. They’ve managed to collect enough white plastic from their network of growers and distributors to manufacture a line of white containers made up of up to 100% recycled content

Recycling is ingrained in EJP’s culture. Trash cans at their offices and facilities are always accompanied by at least one recycling bin, as shown in the picture to the left. All employees are required to recycle, and posters of materials accepted in their recycling bins are displayed across their facilities. Employees like Owen Diller, Corporate Recycling Manager, will occasionally go through trash bins and take pictures of misplaced recyclables, hanging up posters with these photos to help employees recycle correctly.

East Jordan Plastics is continuing to work towards sustainable product solutions, like exploring how plastic alternatives like starch can be used within their products. Plus, they’re working with marketers to not only promote EJP’s sustainability efforts, but to also endorse positive messaging that aligns with Recycle, MI’s mission of advancing Michigan recycling. East Jordan Plastics works towards bringing new participants into their collections and recycling efforts, empowering Michigan growers to divert plastic waste.