Using Recycled Materials in Landscaping

In today’s world, environmental sustainability is more important than ever. Eco-friendly landscaping provides the perfect opportunity for the green-conscious to give back to the earth by reducing waste, conserving natural resources, and protecting local ecosystems.

One way to commit to preserving the planet is to incorporate recycled materials into your landscape design. This trend is growing worldwide and involves using old roofing, discarded bricks, plastics, wood, glass, metal, and more, to reduce human impact on the environment.

With some creativity, you can find ways to add vintage charm to your outdoor spaces with recycled materials. Best of all, you'll be reducing your carbon footprint to help save the earth.

Benefits of Using Recycled Materials in Landscaping

Saves Money

Home and business owners can save money by using recycled materials in landscaping since they're usually cheaper than newly manufactured products. For example, using reclaimed wood to build raised beds for vegetable and flower gardens will cost much less than fresh wood from a lumber yard. For your garden borders and pathways, consider using recycled bricks, stones, gravel, and concrete.

When you use recycled materials in your landscaping projects, you help promote and support the recycling industry and create green jobs. These employment opportunities help sustain the local economy. By using locally sourced materials, you'll help lower transportation costs and reduce the carbon emissions that come from shipping materials long-distance.

Reduces Waste

The world collectively produces around 2 billion metric tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) each year. The United States ranks first in producing waste per capita and is the only developed nation that outpaces recycling with MSW generation. Put another way, Americans fill 96,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools with MSW each year and send up to 150 metric tons to landfills rather than recycling or repurposing them.

Using recycled materials in landscaping is critical in preserving our landfills and reducing the methane gas that is constantly contributing to climate change. Additionally, when landfill space is reduced, we preserve land needed for other uses like parks and community gardens. Extending the lifecycle of materials such as metal, glass, and plastic supports the circular economy.

Lowers Environmental Impact

More often than not, producing new landscaping materials uses intensive energy processes resulting in a large amount of carbon emissions. Using recycled materials will reduce the carbon footprint involved in urban landscaping since less energy is required than manufacturing new materials. Fewer greenhouse gases will be emitted.

Using recycled metals such as steel and aluminum will preserve the energy needed to extract and refine the metals from ore. Lowered carbon emissions through less energy usage in manufacturing, local sourcing, and minimizing the transportation of goods contribute to the effort to fight climate change.

Adds Aesthetic Appeal

Recycled materials are varied and offer versatility to your garden and landscaping designs. The flexibility these materials offer can enhance aesthetics and help create a pleasing visual appeal to outdoor spaces.

Discarded materials can be arranged to create a variety of looks from vintage to modern to rustic or eclectic. Use recycled glass in a variety of colors to create mosaics and attractive decorative features. Or fashion recycled metals into sculptures and functional works of art.

Using recycled materials in your landscaping adds character to outdoor spaces while committing to sustainability.

More Durable

Recycled materials such as reclaimed bricks or metal are more durable and last longer than traditional building components. This makes them highly desirable for landscaping projects. For example, using recycled plastic lumber for outdoor projects will increase the lifespan of structures since it resists moisture, rot, and insects.

Durability will reduce the need for repairs and replacements; this in turn helps reduce waste and conserve resources.

Types of Recycled Materials for Landscaping

Recycled Bricks and Pavers

Recycled bricks and pavers are ideal for a myriad of landscaping projects including pathways, patios, and garden borders. You'll add a timeless, vintage look to your outdoor space while eliminating the need for these materials to be carted off to the landfill.

Common pavers are made from a mixture of stone, cement, sand, and iron oxide. Other pavers to consider include stone pavers made of natural ingredients like granite and fired clay pavers.

Some companies manufacture specialized pavers made from post-consumer recyclable plastics and tire rubber. These pavers use reclaimed material that would otherwise find its way to the landfills.

Reclaimed Wood

Reclaimed wood can be used for pergolas, trellises, fencing, and patio furniture for a natural, rustic charm. When properly treated, it's highly durable for outdoor use. Reclaimed wood from old buildings and fencing is often free from people who are happy to give it to you in exchange for hauling it away.

Reclaimed wood may come from old warehouses, factories, barns, and wooden shipping crates used by wineries and breweries. You can also find reclaimed wood from an architectural salvage company. It's fully seasoned for strength and durability. The cost will vary according to the type of wood and the amount you need.

Wood from old-growth forests is the most expensive reclaimed wood due to its quality and strength.

Recycled Glass

Recycled glass in varying colors provides sparkle and visual interest in creative landscaping projects. Use it for outdoor decorative projects from birdhouses and water features, to garden borders and even glass mulch for flower beds.

Recycled glass can be purchased from recycling plants across North America. They source the glass from container redemption companies, material recovery factories, and municipalities. The glass is of high quality and efficiency. Advanced quality controls ensure the recycled glass is contaminant-free.

Recycled Plastic & Rubber

Recycled tires and other rubber or plastic sources are excellent for mulching to deter weed growth and retain moisture. Use it to line pathways, on the surface of playgrounds, and as long-lasting and low maintenance for garden beds.

Rubber and plastic may not enrich the soil, but unlike pine straw, bark, and other organic materials, rubber, and plastic mulch won't allow weeds to spring up in your flower and vegetable gardens.

Recycled Metal

Repurpose old metal in a variety of creative ways to incorporate it into your garden. Sculptures, planters, furniture—the ways are limited only by your imagination.

Eco-friendly gabions can be created using sustainable materials like recycled metal for the wire mesh and natural stones. This can be one of most organic ways to create a border for a garden, and helps reduce your environmental impact while providing effective erosion control.

To find old metal, look in your local phone book or online for welding companies that may have odd pieces that were rejected for minor flaws. Be sure to anchor the structures you create to the ground with cement so they don't blow over in strong wind.

Recycled Concrete

Broken concrete is an excellent source to repurpose as gravel for hardscaping mulch, stepping stones, or as a pathway material. It's strong and durable and can withstand heavy-duty traffic.

Old concrete often ends up in landfills because it's heavy and hard to dispose of. Look for broken concrete at job sites and haul it away free of charge. Use it in a variety of DIY projects from creating walkways and stairs to edging for garden beds. You can even upcycle leftover broken concrete pieces to create a garden patio.

How to Incorporate Recycled Materials into Your Landscaping

Pathways and Walkways

One of the easiest and most eco-friendly ways to reuse old bricks, crushed concrete, stones, and any type of pavers is by implementing them in pathways and walkways. The texture, colors, and worn character of recycled materials allow you to design walkways that complement a home. Durability is an added benefit.

Choose between whole bricks or brick chips for your project. Whole bricks will add a classic Old World charm to your property while brick chips are more suitable for larger projects like wide walkways and driveways.

Both whole bricks and brick chips can be obtained from architectural salvage companies or even building sites from private homes.

Garden Beds and Borders

Reclaimed bricks are ideal for garden beds and borders. They're easily installed, add a traditional look, and will last forever. You don't need a large amount of bricks to add an attractive border to your garden beds. But if you can manage to get a good amount of reclaimed bricks, use them to create a showstopper vertical garden brick wall. Add a whimsical look by planting succulents in the holes of the bricks.

Are you considering growing food or flowers in a raised bed? They make gardening easy on the knees, improve pest management, and extend the growing season. Wooden boards are perfect for constructing raised beds but don't spend your money on new lumber. Save your money and be eco-friendly by using reclaimed wood.

Reclaimed wood and bricks aren't the only recycled materials good for garden borders. Explore unique options like old wine bottles, logs, or even old dinner plates.

Outdoor Furniture

You can create remarkable outdoor furniture with recycled materials. Wooden pallets are easy to obtain and are perfect candidates for DIY outdoor furniture projects. You may already have a few wooden pallets lying around but if not check beside dumpsters or behind businesses such as hardware stores, grocery stores, and animal feed stores.

Other recycled outdoor furniture ideas include using wooden crates, metal barrels,, and even larger plastic containers. Use these items to create porch swings, potting benches, and patio chairs.

Sculptures and Art

You can find lots of creative ideas to add an artistic flair to your outdoor spaces. The key is to let them be springboards for your own ideas and incorporate the items you have into sculptures and other pieces of art.

Recycled glass, metal, and wood can be used for a plethora of art projects. Repurpose an old mailbox or an empty paint can for a unique birdhouse. Old tools, colorful glass bottles, and twisted metal can be used to create unique and interesting statues. Use a pair of old boots as planters. Craft windchimes from old bottles and broken glass.

Have you or a neighbor recently replaced your gutter system? Don't toss the old gutters in the trash. Make a gutter garden instead. Drill drainage holes in the bottom and attach them to an outdoor wall. Fill the gutters with soil and grow microgreens.

Composting Areas

Recycled landscaping ideas aren't limited to garden borders, pathways, and outdoor furniture. One important way to make your outdoor space green-conscious is by making your own compost. Rather than spending money on bags of processed mulch at your local garden store, use what you have on hand. That includes using food waste along with almost any paper item you're throwing out from old newspapers to cereal boxes. You'll reduce organic waste as you create nutrient-rich garden soil.

For a neat, designated composting area, build a compost bin using a recycled wooden pallet. Almost any scrap materials can also be used to build a composting bin, and you aren't limited to reclaimed wood.

In conclusion, incorporating recycled materials into your landscaping is one of the best and most popular ways to be friendly to the planet. When you do, you reduce waste, support the local recycling industry, and help lower carbon emissions from the transportation used to carry materials to landfills.

Put your creative thinking cap on and look around for ideas to repurpose and recycle. If you need help, you can find many green-conscious landscaping companies that specialize in sustainability for help.