Houseplants are very popular these days. Mainly for their aesthetic appeal, after all, nothing livens up a space like some green! But also for their health benefits. Cleaner air and maybe a little bit of a boost to your mental state. But are they bad for the environment? Well, the answer is, maybe if you’re not mindful.

Whether or not your houseplant is a bane on the environment really depends on how you got it and what you do with the pot it came in. If you’re getting a local plant and it’s going to be in the pot you bought it in forever, great! No problems. But if you’re ordering plants and they’re being shipped, that could add to the carbon footprint you create.

The plastic pots plants come are also problems from time to time. You can’t recycle them in most places so buy ones that are biodegradable or find ways to re-purpose the cheap pots they come with. All in all, houseplants are a problem for the greater world but like anything else, just be mindful.