This initiative, alongside other efforts is to make us more sustainable, Jeff says. In the past few years, the team has swapped planter bags with reusable one-litre pots, in an effort to reduce single-use plastic waste.
“After revegetation planting days, the pots and carry trays are returned to the nursery, sorted and stored, ready for the next season. We get three to four years of use from each pot.
“While nursery staff have more sorting, grading and storage to do with these reusable pots, they are fully supportive of the initiative. We all believe it’s a far better option than sending plastic bags to the landfill, or bags not being removed from planting sites.”
The work that the team do at the Berhampore Nursery is incredibly important to the city, says Open Space and Parks Manager Bradley Schroder.
“Planting not only increases biodiversity, but provides opportunities to work with many community groups, reliant on volunteer effort. Since the seeds are ‘eco-sourced,’ which means they are collected locally, the plants are more likely to survive Wellington’s unique and tough environmental conditions.
"This means we keep our green spaces looking greener for longer.”
Find out more about the Berhampore Nursery.