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Photo Credit: Jodi Torpey

Landscapers call broken concrete “urbanite” and use it – or reuse it – to create retaining walls. Urbanite can also help keep soil in its place in the garden.

The only problem with having such a healthy landscape is that there’s so much of it. Grass grows, vines twine and the deadheading never ends. Even though I compost like crazy and use my untreated grass clippings as mulch in the vegetable garden, there’s still a lot of yard waste. Instead of bagging it up, I’ve taken a cue from the landscape industry and started a zero-waste gardening movement in my own back yard.

Landscape contractors around the country are using sustainable practices for their commercial and residential landscapes alike. They’re designing for both functionality and aesthetics, using more native plants, buying locally-produced materials and working toward the goal of a zero-waste job site.

Home gardeners can set a zero-waste goal, too. That means finding creative ways to keep your landscape and garden debris out of the waste stream. Here are a few ideas for turning waste into valuable resources, using that green mantra, “reduce, reuse and recycle!”

Reduce

● Minimize yard waste by pruning shrubs, hedges and trees only when needed.
● Buy soil amendments in bulk instead of individual bags.
● Shop for plants in compostable containers instead of plastic pots.
● Start seeds in recycled kitchen containers like margarine tubs and yogurt cups; poke holes in the bottoms for drainage.
● Use twigs, evergreen needles and disease-free plant prunings instead of packaged mulch.