Hey everyone, I'm reaching out for some advice regarding a bit of a mess I found in my dad's garden. My mom, who loved gardening, passed away about six months ago, and during my visit today, I noticed a problem. She had stored some leftover perlite in a thin white garbage bag that fell apart due to the sun, leaving behind flakes of plastic both around the area and mixed into the perlite. Whenever I try to pick out the visible plastic pieces, they turn to powder, making it worse. I'm thinking about discarding the whole batch of perlite and using a shop vac to clean up the plastic, but I'm wondering if that's overreacting. It doesn't sit right with me to let plastic stay in the soil and potentially affect groundwater. How would you approach this situation?
3 Answers
Honestly, it's a tough spot. What’s done is done, and some plastic might end up in the soil regardless. Plus, you’ve got to think about what happens when trash goes to a landfill—there's still a chance of having that stuff leach down too. Just do your best with the cleanup, and don't stress too much about it!
Yeah, using a vacuum is definitely a good idea for picking up those plastic bits. If you're really worried about it, tossing the perlite might be the safest option, especially since you don't want any plastic leaching into the soil. Better safe than sorry, right?
I’d suggest trying a strainer to separate the bigger bits of plastic from the perlite if you want to salvage it. It might not get everything, but it could help reduce the mess a little.