The cannabis industry is getting a little greener in Canada.
Delta 9 Cannabis today announced a partnership with the Emterra Environmental company and other cannabis producers to create a sustainable recycling program for the Canadian cannabis industry.
“In Canada, we have the tools and the knowledge to make a big change in the cannabis industry when it comes to dealing with packaging and vape products,” says Emterra VP of Corporate Strategy and Business Development. “We are honored to partner with Delta 9 to create a Canadian solution to this growing yet solvable problem.”
The new program will include recycling options for cannabis packaging and disposable vape pens, as well as a landfill diversion program for vape cartridges, helping transition the industry into a circular economy.
“At Delta 9 Cannabis, we’re committed to reducing our carbon footprint,” says Delta 9 CEO John Arbuthnot. “Our employees have always been committed to producing the highest quality cannabis products for our customers, and we are proud to be a leader in setting the same high-quality standard for our recycling program. We hold ourselves and our partners to a high standard. It was important to us to know that all the materials are being recycled and processed in Canada.”
Arbuthnot says that some of Canada’s top cannabis producers have partnered with Delta 9 on the initiative, including Tweed, 7ACRES, High Park, FIGR, and Sundial.
Customers can bring their empty cannabis containers, packaging, vape cartridges, and disposable vape pens to Delta 9 shops and other participating locations and dispose of them in boxes labeled “FLOWER—Recycling or VAPES—Landfill Diversion.”
According to Delta 9, customers should place their vape cartridges into plastic bags before depositing them into the Landfill Diversion box, though vape pens can be put into the box as-is.
Once the FLOWER Recycling Box is full, it will go to the ReVital Polymers plastics recycling facility in Sarnia, Ontario, where its contents will be sorted into different plastic types and processed.
The plastics will then be washed to remove impurities, labels, and adhesives before being shredded and extruded into pellets, which are used in the fabrication of a range of products, including automotive parts, consumer product packaging, and other cannabis packaging.
Vape cartridges are considered special waste and go to an energy-from-waste facility for processing.
Emterra’s partner electronics recycling facility will handle the separation and processing of vape pens to recover their batteries, plastics, and metals.
According to Delta 9, the best environmental solution for vape pens and cartridges is to divert them from landfills and recycle them with other electrical and electronic equipment.
Delta 9 reports that there are currently no technologies that allow for the complete recycling of vape cartridges in North America, and that if someone throws a vape cartridge in the trash, it will end up in a landfill, which the company says is the worst possible outcome.
Delta 9 CMO Marshall Posner says that every Canadian cannabis company will ultimately choose recyclable packaging and participate in an industry-wide solution to address the waste that producers are creating as a whole.
“Hopefully this program will be the spark that ignites this responsible initiative across the country,” says Posner. “If you’re a cannabis company producing any kind of waste packaging and products, when it comes to recycling and sustainability, you have an environmental and social responsibility to be part of the solution.”
Posner says that Delta 9 is doing its best to make sure all of its brand partners are part of the recycling program and would love to have every Canadian cannabis company join in the initiative.
