Plastic or biodegradable plant pots

[Caterpillargirl23]

I've been able to grow much more from seed this year and I've used cardboard plant pots which I have been able to plant directly into the soil. They've been great except there seemed to be fungi growing in them as well plus once used they can't be reused.
Is it better, environmentally, to use plastic pots year in year out or keep buying these biodegradable ones?

Save toilet roll tubes? You just fold either side in at one end to form a bottom.

Make paper pots from old newspapers. Search "how to make paper pots" online.

They say a cotton bag has to be used 30 times to be better than a single use plastic bag - that’s energy-use-wise, of course the cotton is more biodegradable.

Energy-wise, anything that’s been made anyway is better than something that’s been specially made. So reusing a yogurt pot is better in energy use than a specially made biodegradable pot, though in terms of final residue the biodegradable pot is better.

If you already have a stock of plastic pots, carry on using them year after year. But if you are thinking of buying them, it’s more difficult. You could consider clay pots.

I think the cardboard is allowing fungi to grow.

My loo roll inners are made of tough cardboard and it's not easy to cut.
I don't buy newspaper.
I re-use plant pots, but I don't have enough smaller ones.
I don't eat small pot yoghurts.
I'll look at clay pots

30 times is a slight underestimation I fear.

"An organic cotton tote needs to be used 20,000 times to offset its overall impact of production, according to a 2018 study by the Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark. That equates to daily use for 54 years — for just one bag.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-many-times-must-bag-reused-more-environmentally-friendly-chua

One study from the United Kingdom (U.K.) found that, regarding bag production, cotton bags have to be reused 131 times before they reduce their impact on climate change to the same extent as plastic bags. To have a comparable environmental footprint (which encompasses climate change as well as other environmental effects) to plastic bags, a cotton bag potentially has to be used thousands of times.

Lots of small plant pots going on freecycle usually so reusing these multiple times is my preference. I don't know the calculations but I always imagine keeping buying a manufactured product will use more resources than making do.

I don't like the bio pots. They dry out and seem to form a barrier for roots when planting. It's also an ongoing expense. I use the square 9cm pots and reuse the pot until it breaks. It is a shame they are black as I don't think that gets recycled. Instead of bought seed trays I reuse the punnets that grapes etc come in.

Not all fungi is bad OP.
I would reuse the plastic pots you have but do t buy any new ones.

Thanks for your thoughts. I won't buy new and will try and be creative with what I have at home. I'll try egg trays and not worry about the fungi (might be from the compost rather than the cardboard of course)

Very true - I used to get cute little toadstools from peat free compost

Ask on facebook; I have billions 😳 because you still can’t buy a plant that’s not in a pot. Our garden centre has a pot recycling spot where you can often pick pots up for free.