Gardener shares creative way to reuse old toilet paper rolls: 'I really need to try it'

A gardener has shared a creative way to get a head start on planting lettuce using a common household item — toilet rolls. Here's what you need to know. 

The scoop

TikToker and gardener Gardening_With_Deea (@gardening_with_deea) has shared a simple hack for reusing toilet rolls when growing lettuce, saving you time and money.

@gardening_with_deea Tips for starting lettuce from seed indoors diy toilet paper roll planter #seedstarting #lettuce #growyourownfood #gardening #garden #indoorgardening #diy #diyproject ♬ original sound - Gardening_With_Deea

This simple hack involves creating a small pot out of half of a toilet roll by making four half-an-inch cuts on one side and folding them in to make a little pot. The pot can then be filled with compost and the lettuce seeds planted.

The gardener shares that this is a great way to start your lettuce early indoors, and the best part is that the cardboard tubes can be planted straight into the ground when you transfer them outside, as they are made of cardboard, so they break down into the soil. 

How it's helping

The average American can be expected to get through 141 toilet rolls per year, per Statista, which is a lot of cardboard tubes. Finding useful ways to reuse them can help reduce waste while also saving people money on buying new products, which also reduces consumption.

Toilet paper rolls are made from cardboard, so as long as they aren't contaminated, they can be composted, which is what makes them such great little pots for starting plants indoors. Additionally, this also means that if you have a compost bin at home, then you can add toilet rolls to it, which also reduces waste.

Composting is good for keeping food waste out of the landfill, where it contributes to producing harmful, planet-warming pollution, while also producing organic matter that can boost the health of your soil.

If you can't reuse common household products like these, then learning more about recycling in your area can help make sure products are recycled so that less new materials need to be made. 

What everyone's saying

People in the comments couldn't wait to try the hack.

"I'm drowning in this rolls because I want to reuse them, thank you for finally giving them purpose!" wrote one commenter

Would you want a garden that can take care of itself? Sign me up Depends on the price No — that ruins the fun I don't like gardening Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Another added, "I have seen this done before. I really need to try it."

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