The flood from 2011 Tropical Storm Lee left upstate New York devastated. Aside from damage to personal and commercial property, flash flooding ripped through bridges, culverts and roadways.
The wake of the flood left mountains of replaced culvert pipe on roadsides and ditches. Because of the high price of scrap metals, steel culvert is typically reclaimed by municipal road crews to offset costs. However, plastic culvert pipe has insignificant salvage value, so it tends to accumulate along roadsides after flood damage has been repaired.
If placed on end and cut to size, these pipes make great planters, especially for plants that do best in warm soil, such as melons, eggplant and tomatoes. All it takes is a few minutes with a sharp circular saw, and you’ll have an abundant supply of weatherproof planters.
Before you load your pickup, though, check with your highway department to make sure it hadn’t planned to reuse them. I’ve never been turned down.
J.R. Galati
Maine, New York
