Less Mess, More Yes

Mini Greenhouse

By Sarah Falardeau of Sterilite Corporation

Since spring has sprung, I’ve been itching to get some green growing in our house! As a kid I always remember spring time meant planting our garden and enjoying fresh vegetables all summer long. Earth Day was approaching and what better time to get my kids involved with starting a garden.


Getting started wasn’t to intimidating and I only had to prepare a few tools. I knew I didn’t want to start too big because these plants would eventually need to find a home in the yard. The Sterilite 32 Quart ClearView Latch™ Box was perfect - clear so the kids could see the seeds start to germinate, latches to keep interested hands from spreading dirt throughout the house and small enough to fit near a window for some much needed natural sunlight.


Some additional tools I had close included:
- Jiffy Peat Soil Pellets
- Water and Measuring Cup
- Wooden Skewer
- Vegetable Seeds

Once I had everything together, I let the girls place the peat pellets into the storage box. Once we had them situated, I added about 1½” of water to allow the pellets to grow. After a couple of minutes, we were ready to plant our seeds! I decided to start with tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers and green onions. Two or three seeds in each peat pellet is appropriate and I used the wooden skewer to pock a hole in each one. In order to keep track of which vegetables were where, I attached the seed packets to the storage box. With the help of some tiny fingers, I placed the cover on our mini greenhouse and stuck it in a nice warm location.

Germination should take a week or two depending on what vegetables you’re working with, but the beauty of using a storage box is how portable the greenhouse is. It is small enough to easily move it to where ever the sun is shining and the cover can be removed on warm days offering your baby plants some air flow. Hopefully we have some successful seedlings and we can transplant them into the garden in late spring.

Happy Gardening!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

By Tori Lind of Sterilite Corporation

As you may know, April is National Recycling Month! I am always trying to be as environmentally friendly as I can and do my part to reduce, reuse, and recycle! While this can be hard at times, there are some really simple things that you and your family can implement into your day to day routines. Keep reading for three of my favorite and easiest ways I recycle!

My first easy recycling tip is all about reusing! This includes reusable water bottles, reusable grocery bags and reusable food storage containers. This may seem like a small action, but it has incredible benefits for the environment. Switching over to these reusable items, helps to eliminate the amount of plastic you throw away every year! Just think about how many plastic bags you use each and every time you go to the grocery store, or how many plastic water bottles you go through in a week. These little changes go a long way!
    Fun Fact: Sterilite offers a variety of different food storage options that come in different shapes, sizes and colors! And with our color coding system, you will never have trouble finding the right lid. Personally, my favorite is the 4 Cup Square Ultra Seal Food Storage Container.


Many towns require you to separate your recyclables into categories: paper, plastic, cans and glass. This may make recycling seem overwhelming, but with a little help from Sterilite, it can really be very manageable. To make sure we are being proactive in my household, we created our own recycling system using the 5.5 Gallon Rectangular Wastebasket, designating one wastebasket for each type of recycled material. Additionally, we save up old newspapers year round to use in the summer as fire starters. I think creating a recycling system in your house is a great way for kids to learn what recycling is and why we do it!
    Fun Fact: In certain states, you can bring plastic bottles, glass bottles and cans to a recycling center in exchange for money! Make sure to check out the recycling policy in your town.


Every spring and fall, I clean out my closet and swap out my clothing for the upcoming season. During this activity, I always find that there are a few sweaters or a pair of jeans that I never wore. Instead of folding them up and putting them in storage for next year, I put them in a pile to donate. I keep a tote in my basement for this purpose and once the tote is filled with clothes, I put them in a bag and drop them off at my local good will. Clothes that get thrown out go to a landfill where it takes years to disintegrate. By donating unwanted clothes, you not only help reduce waste but give someone the opportunity to have some new clothes!
    Fun Fact: I use Sterilite’s Industrial Totes as my “good will” totes and the base of this item is made out of recycled resin! How cool?!

Happy Recycling!