Do you have some extra newspapers lying around? Practice your origami and use them to make biodegradable pots for seeds and young plants! Many seed pots are made from cheap plastic or expensive pressed peat moss. Newspaper pots are a budget and eco-friendly alternative that you can make in just a few minutes.

Using biodegradable materials rather than plastic pots will help keep trash out of our storm drains and waterways. All it takes is a few pages from some old newspapers! Follow the instructions below.

Materials:
• Newspaper
• Scissors
• Pen
• Soil
• Seeds

Instructions:
1. Take one spread (left- and right-hand page) from an old newspaper. Cut the page along the vertical fold to create two separate pieces of paper. Each page will make one pot.

2. Fold one page in half horizontally, then fold it in half again vertically.

3. Unfold your page. If you have any trouble seeing the creases, mark them with a pen.

4. Fold the page horizontally once again, and arrange the page so the folded edge is closest to you.

5. Move the bottom left corner to the center line to create a triangle with sides parallel to the top and right sides of the paper. Do the same with the bottom right corner.

6. Take one of the flaps from the top and fold it in half downwards, then fold in downwards again so that there is another crease at the other edge of the triangles.

7. Flip the paper over, and if the triangle is at the top, fold each side in half so that the edges reach the center crease.

8. Fold the bottom flap in half so that the edge reaches the other crease. Flip this upwards to create another crease where the two folds meet.

9. Undo the last two folds and tuck the bottom section into the opening right under the triangle.

10. Fold the triangle down to create a crease along the bottom. Turn it over, repeat, then unfold the triangle.

11. Fold your paper so that the tip of the triangle touches the bottom point of the triangle. Only crease the half of the fold closest to where the points meet.

12. Undo the fold and start opening the bottom up. The crease you just made should naturally fold in to create a box.

13. Firm up the edges a bit and you’ll have yourself a small biodegradable pot. Once your seeds have sprouted, the whole pot can be placed into the ground or a bigger planter. The newspaper will decay in a few weeks.