Indoor herb holders give old wine bottles new life

Portuguese startup My Little Garden turns used bottles into plant holders that help homeowners and businesses grow their own herbs.

Restaurants get through a large number of wine bottles, and eco-conscious kitchens typically send them to be recycled once they’re finished. However, this process still uses up resources, which has prompted Portuguese startup My Little Garden to turn the containers into plant holders that help homeowners and businesses grow their own herbs.

The company first collects empty bottles from local restaurants and then sends them onto OASIS — the Organization for Support and Solidarity of Social Integration — whose disabled members learn new skills for cleaning and unlabelling the bottles. The containers are then delivered to the Leiria Prison, where inmates adapt the bottles for use as growing kits. All of the volunteers involved are rewarded for their help. My Little Garden then turns the bottles upside down, cuts off the top and places a water-holding wick in the neck of the bottle, which provides continuous moisture for the soil packed on top. The company delivers locally-collected herb seeds along with the bottles, which can be hung on the wall with steel frames. Kits cost around EUR 15 each.

Offering a unique-looking way to grow herbs in urban environments, My Little Garden also helps to put waste products into good use before they get recycled. At the same time, the company involves members of society normally denied fair remuneration for their work. Are there other ways to help city dwellers grow their own food?

Spotted by Luis Lemos, written by Springwise