Eco-friendly flower pots specially designed at the University of Guelph's Bioproducts Discovery and Development Centre (BDDC) are now on shelves for consumers.

The pots are made up of up to 30 per cent bio-fibres from miscanthus grasses, and recycled plastics. It took two years of development and testing before the perfect resin was found.

The pots are on sale at 33 Lowe's stores across Canada and 2,500 Kroger stores in the United States, said a U of G news release. Home Hardware will also see the bio-resin pots hitting their shelves this year.

The pots are comparable in quality and price to traditional oil-based pots, but provide a more eco-friendly, low carbon-emission choice for consumers, said Prof. Manju Misra of the BDDC.

The BDDC, led by Prof. Amar Mohanty, is working on integrating bio-materials including miscanthus grass, wood, oat hulls, soybean hulls and spent coffee grounds into new bio-resin composite plastics. They are currently developing bio-composites for car parts and furniture, and also examining how to produce fuel from soy, wheat and corn crops.

The team included the U of G Catalyst Centre and industry collaborators Competitive Green Technologies and the Myers Industries Lawn and Garden Group.

July 04, 2014 - News Release: U of G Eco-friendly Flower Pots Blossom in U.S., Canada

July 08, 2014 -Guelph Mercury: "An eco-friendly pot for your posies"