For most recyclable containers purchased in Alberta, you also pay a small deposit which is then returned when the bottles or cans are dropped off for recycling. A variety of containers can be dropped off at bottle depots for refunds — except for those used to store cannabis. Now, the agency that governs bottle depots in the province wants to welcome cannabis containers into the deposit return system, saying the move could divert plastic from landfills and stabilize declines in depot income.

"Depots are ready to accept the product," said Jerry Roczkowsky of the Alberta Bottle Depot Association (ABDA). "It's a matter of working with the manufacturers to get the system in place." The federal Cannabis Act specifies certain criteria for cannabis packaging, such as using opaque or semi-transparent child-resistant material. That can make it hard for producers to use materials that fulfill recycling program mandates.