Using recycled materials for landscaping is one of many ways to create sustainable landscaping. But what is sustainable landscaping?
As the population continues to increase, so too do the resources we use up and the waste we generate. If we use too many resources and produce too much waste, we are putting our planet’s future at a great disadvantage. Sustainable landscaping provides a long-term solution to this problem, creating a way that our planet and local communities can handle over the long haul.
Sustainable landscaping practices reduce the use of valuable resources and work to reduce waste. They also decrease air and water pollution. All in all, sustainable landscaping is meant to provide the greatest benefits with the least negative environmental impacts.
From reducing landfill waste to lower overall material costs, there are many benefits to landscaping with recycled materials. If you want to landscape your backyard in the most sustainable way possible, using recycled materials is the best way to go. And aside from reducing waste to help save the environment, using recycled materials also helps you save money and landscaping supplies.
So, while looking for a good supply store, here are some of the smartest and most creative ways to landscape your yard with used materials:
- Look for used rocks
Besides purchasing recycled decorative stones from a local supplier, you can also try looking for rocks from construction sites, other people’s curbs, and farm fields. Usually, the people who offer these rocks are more than happy to give them to you for free, as long as you have the means to transport them yourself. Alternatively, you can go and pick up rocks in places where rock collecting is allowed. But make sure to check with the local government if rock picking is allowed and how much you are permitted to get in a day.
- Use pallets
Wooden pallets can be repurposed for many things. They can be upcycled into furniture, transformed into garden planters, converted to tables, and so much more. Wooden pallets are one of the best materials to use for sustainable landscaping. The best part? They are affordable and available, almost anywhere.
- Be creative with your planters
Planters for verandah offer versatile options to showcase your greenery, utilizing a variety of containers such as wheelbarrows, buckets, wooden boxes, water bottles, old pots, and even repurposed broken appliances. To save on expenses, explore your garage, attend yard sales, or search the attic for creative alternatives to hold your plants.
- Skip the new furniture
One of the focal points of a garden is the outdoor living space. However, buying new furniture is a no-no if you want to go down the more sustainable route. Luckily, you can find used outdoor furniture on Craigslist, yard sales, furniture stores, and thrift shops at a fraction of the price of a new set.
- Build with eco-friendly concrete
If you want to build a deck or pathway with concrete, you can make the project more eco-friendly by using concrete made with recycled materials or fly ash. Structures made from eco-friendly concrete are just are durable as regular concrete, but without the same effect on the environment.
- Recycle old tires
Old tires can have many second lives. They can be used as planters, shredded into rubber asphalt, built into walls, or upcycled into creative centerpieces. Rather than letting them end up in the dump where it will take 80 years for them to decompose, use them in your yard as landscaping material.
Conclusion
You can find infinite ways to reuse different items in your landscaping if you approach the task with imagination. Use old windows to make a greenhouse or hang them as garden art. Use rocks, broken concrete, or pieces of wood as garden bed flowers. Glass bottles or salvaged metal can build interesting walls. Old wood pallets can serve as the basis for vertical gardens. Put old rugs on pathways, cover them with pebbles, and use Styrofoam peanuts in big planters’ bottoms to keep the weight down. You can even turn an old mailbox into a birdhouse. Get creative and see just how many recycled garden landscaping ideas you can come up with!
Luckily, many options are available for people who want to indulge in landscaping or green living without the high costs. One option is the use of recycled materials for landscaping without compromising the house’s exterior. If you’re looking for a local garden club or native plant society for help in choosing native plants, landscaping in Orange County can be of help.
Making use of recycled materials is an art that will make your yard remarkable beautiful without spending a lot of money. By adding a green initiative to your house, it will benefit your home in more ways that you can count.
