3 Ways Cannabis Stakeholders Reduce Packaging Waste
TerraCycle Include Canada (English) zero waste box Canopy Growth
Here are their stories …
1. Dispensary uses packaging to fuel cannabis manufacturer’s deliveries.
2. TerraCycle takes on Canada.
3. Upcycled ocean plastic for cannabis brands.
1. Dispensary uses packaging to fuel cannabis manufacturer’s deliveries.
North of the US border, TerraCycle has partnered with Canopy Growth and that company’s Tweed and Tokyo Smoke brands to recycle all brands of cannabis packaging and all Canopy Growth-produced vape products throughout Canada.
Hundreds of Canadian dispensaries are participating in TerraCycle’s Cannabis Recycling Program and Cannabis Vapes Retailer Recycling Program, which launched in October 2018 and December 2019, respectively.
The dispensaries use in-store recycling bins to collect the waste. One bin is for vape products only, including cartridges and batteries. The other bin is for all other types of cannabis packaging — primary and secondary plastic packaging, tins, joint tubes, plastic bottles and caps, and plastic bags.
“To date, 6.3 million pieces of cannabis packaging and vaporizers have been collected for recycling through the Cannabis Recycling Program,” says Alex Payne, a publicist for TerraCycle. The programs play a special role in Canada’s recycling infrastructure because much of the child-proof packaging required for cannabis products is not recyclable across the country.
TerraCycle sorts the materials, shredding and cleaning plastic for upcycling into products such as park benches and picnic tables. Recycled metals are melted, poured into ingot molds, and used to make metal-based products.
Since last summer, TerraCycle has also been selling Zero Waste Boxes for cannabis-packaging waste to consumers in Canada. Consumers can order a Cannabis Packaging Zero Waste Box or Cannabis Vapes Zero Waste Box online, fill the box with the designated waste, and then ship the box back to TerraCycle using a pre-paid shipping label. The returned materials are sorted and repurposed into affordable recycled products.
3. Upcycled ocean plastic for cannabis brands.
Sana Packaging, which develops sustainable cannabis packaging using materials like 100% plant-based hemp plastic, has recently tackled the problem of ocean plastic. Since December 2020, the company has launched jars, lids, and tubes made from 100% reclaimed ocean plastic.
The 4-oz Sana Ocean Jar 4 and Sana Ocean Screw-Top Lid are made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE); this package can be used for cannabis flower, edibles, and topicals. Sana Ocean Tubes, used to pack pre-rolls, blunts, and vape pens, are made of polypropylene (PP). The tubes and jars are child-resistant certified and resealable.
“We source our reclaimed ocean plastic in partnership with Oceanworks, a global marketplace for reclaimed ocean materials,” says James Eichner, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Sana Packaging. “One of the big value-adds that Oceanworks provides is the verification that we’re sourcing pure materials. Our 100% reclaimed ocean plastic is Oceanworks Guaranteed, FDA certified, and — depending on the product — a pure HDPE (#2 recyclable) or a pure PP (#5 recyclable).”
Though still more expensive than conventional alternatives, Sana’s ocean plastic offerings are coming down in price. “Our first reclaimed ocean plastic products were [two to three times] more expensive than their traditional counterparts,” Eichner says. “However, we’ve been able to reduce our pricing significantly though a combination of scaling up our operations and designing more efficient products. Our newer reclaimed ocean plastic products are around 15% to 25% more expensive than their traditional counterparts.”