Planting a garden is an eco-friendly activity that renews the soil, sustains pollinators and provides locally grown food. While the proliferation of plastics in the gardening world works against those benefits, fortunately, there are plenty of sustainable alternatives.

Rather than buying plastic seed trays to grow plants from seed, just use old multicell flats or ice cube trays with added drainage holes. Better yet, avoid plastic altogether. Repurpose traditional pulp-style egg cartons (with drainage holes) or fill toilet paper rolls with seed-starting mix and set them on an old kitchen tray. Naturally, the internet provides suitable alternatives, such as seedling pots made from composted cow manure and coconut fiber (or coco coir). Peat pots will serve, too, but peatlands perform critical environmental functions and harvesting peat releases substantial amounts of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.

If your supplier sells plants in plastic pots, as is the regular practice, you still have choices. The seller may take back clean pots or you can reuse old plastic pots repeatedly in your garden and yard. One can recycle them in communities served by the ecomaine recycling operation, which accepts clean plastic pots with numbers one through seven in the chasing-arrows triangle. You might avoid plastic planters completely if someone shares plants with you — but accept only bare-root specimens to reduce the risk of bringing home Asian jumping worms.

One can banish plastic completely from the actual work of gardening. Tools incorporating plastic may cost less up front, but implements made exclusively from wood and metal last longer. Many gloves are composed entirely of natural materials, especially cotton and leather. Shop carefully, however, for some gloves combine cotton, bamboo, rubber, recycled plastic and various bio-based substances with typical synthetic plastics like Spandex or nylon. Instead of staking plants with plastic rods, try metal posts, bamboo stakes or wooden dowels. And rather than fastening plants to their supports with plastic twist-ties, try garden twine, but take care that it is made exclusively from natural materials like hemp, jute, sisal, cotton or wool.

When faced with using plastic in the garden, think twice! There are plenty of sustainable alternatives, many of them hidden in plain sight.

David Conwell is a former history teacher who belongs to Brunswick’s Sustainability Committee and the nationwide advocacy organization Citizens’ Climate Lobby.