EARTH DAY AND THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN CANNABIS PACKAGING RECYCLING INITIATIVE
Today we celebrate Earth Day and what better way to celebrate the Earth than to discuss what Rocky Mountain Cannabis is doing as a company to preserve the place we call home.
It’s no secret that the cannabis industry produces an astronomical amount of waste generated mostly from its packaging and the strict regulations that come along with it. Currently, there is no hard data on exactly how much packaging ends up in landfills each year but it is projected to be in the hundreds of tons. Whether that be drams, pre-roll tubes, concentrate containers, or the boxes that the products come in. All of these items are non-biodegradable and pose a significant threat to the health of the planet and increase the risk of microplastics being spread into our ecosystem and ultimately to us. Microplastics have been found in all aspects of the world and can cause a wide variety of illnesses as well as cancer.
In an effort to combat waste generated by our industry and to make more of a concerted effort to protect our planet, Rocky Mountain Cannabis has partnered with Green for Green. Together, we plan on cutting down the amount of non-biodegradable plastics and glass that end up in our landfills every year and challenge other companies in the cannabis industry to do the same.
What is Green for Green?
Green for Green is an organization that has created the first reuse network for cannabis packaging. Utilizing the Rocky Mountain Cannabis retail locations, their network has the ability to collect used packaging. Whether that be drams, pre-roll tubes, concentrate containers, or cardboard packaging, thoroughly clean them out using a MED-certified system and then reintroduce these containers back into the market so they can be used again at a retail level. Once a container is deemed no longer usable, it will be recycled one last time and it will be turned into something completely new using the plastic or glass that is no longer usable at a retail level.
While these are the current items that Green for Green accepts as part of its program, there is significant headway being made with recycling the mylar bags that a lot of products come in. Due to the content of the coating, it is difficult to separate the mylar from the different types of plastic used in the resealable portion and the outer coating. Once there is a scalable solution to recycling the mylar, we will be able to accept all packaging that cannabis companies use to sell their products.
What can I do to help?
Starting immediately, all Rocky Mountain Cannabis locations have Green for Green receptacles and will be accepting the following containers: drams, pre-roll tubes, concentrate containers, and outer cardboard packaging for the products. We will also accept these containers that come from other dispensaries as well. They will all be recycled and put back into the industry for everyone to reuse. On your next visit to any Rocky Mountain Cannabis location and bring in all your accepted packaging and drop it off for recycling. While it is impossible to eliminate buying products with plastic, you can choose to buy products from brands that limit the amount of plastic they use in their packaging and buy items that you know can be recycled and reused. It won’t be easy to reverse the damage that has been done to the environment, but if we all work together and take the steps in the right direction we can all make a difference in what is released into the environment.
