Delta 9 & Emterra Environment make pot packaging recycling a reality
It's a new year, the perfect time to set new goals to achieve and hopes for the future. A top new year's resolution for many this year is to be kinder to the environment, but we can only take that so far on our own. The companies that use plastics that aren't recyclable are a good portion of the problem, contributing thousands of tonnes worth of waste to landfills every year.
Our addiction to one-time use of plastics
Human beings are accustomed to convenience, which often means a disposable wrapper, and it's the cheapest to make in mass quantities with harmful plastic over less toxic alternatives such as hemp plastic. We throw millions of pieces of single-use plastics into the environment every year, and this is something that some companies are working towards changing. An essential move if we, as a species, want to survive and thrive in the future.
Why it needs to stop
We're polluting the earth, its waters, and everything in between, leaching harmful toxins into everything from our water supply to the food that we eat, and it's terrible for everything it touches. Nature dies each time a landfill must expand to hold the ever-increasing mountain of trash, and even when we manage to keep it the same size, the wildlife will suffer. Birds and fish will get caught in plastic bags and tags, and creatures will be found growing with bits of plastic throughout their bodies. It's a tragic circumstance, but also a reality that we all must face.
The emissions created from making hauling and then ultimately attempting to destroy harmful plastics and packaging are astounding, and the ripple down effect of thousands of pounds of toxic materials leaching into the soil isn't good for anyone. We're doing both the world and ourselves a disservice by continuing with this behaviour, which is why some people and companies have taken a stand to ensure that it stops.
Delta 9 and Emterra Environment team up
Delta 9 has partnered with Emterra Environment along with several leading Canadian cannabis producers to create a sustainable landfill diversion program for all cannabis goods, including packaging, vape cartridges, and disposable vape pens. The goal is to accept all of this waste from all Canadian cannabis producers, regardless of their participation status, which would eventually make all plastic and non-recyclable components entirely recyclable.
Leading producers who are part of the project
Creating a landfill diversion program is no easy feat. Still, in this case, a unique perspective from the processors, producers, and cultivators is of invaluable assistance. The earth-loving duo has backing from some of the industry's biggest, including Sundial, FIGR, Tweed, High Park, and 7ACRES.
What this means for consumers
The idea won't mean any immediate changes for consumers. Still, eventually, once the landfill diversion program is up and running, it will make it so that cannabis users will have the option to recycle all of their cannabis packaging’s. There has been some talk of a blue box type program, which would make sorting easy, and pickup convenient, a move that is expected to be necessary for many consumers to participate. But to start, Delta 9 locations will begin by accepting these recyclables at any of their locations.
In the end, the only thing that will change is that thousands of wasted bits of material will finally make it into a recycling program to repurpose it rather than adding it to the already building piles in our local landfills. Everything the consumer used will continue to look and function in the same way. You might just find that packaging is made with a slightly different material or needs to be dropped off for proper disposal.
How it impacts non-consumers
This move will change absolutely nothing for non-consumers. It will not be paid for by taxes, as it will be directly funded through purchases made by conscientious cannabis enthusiasts who genuinely want to make a difference in our environment's health. Though it won't cost them a dime, they will directly benefit from the landfill diversion program just as we all will, from cleaner air to breathe and water to drink, and that's a really wonderful thing.
The right direction for the good of the environment
The announcement from Emterra and Delta 9 is being widely celebrated as the way of the future, as it should be, seeing as the majority of cannabis consumers enjoy a clean, pollution-free world just as much as anyone else. This one small thing could even be enough to trigger a shift across all markets towards a cleaner, more sustainable future where we don't rely so much on waste, but we all need to take part to do that. So, when this landfill diversion program or another like it comes to a region near you, we hope that you'll take the time to do the right thing and recycle.
