BIZNOTE: Canna combats weed waste with new recycling program

| Environment | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

(WSB photo)

Canna West Seattle (5440 California SW; WSB sponsor) and its partner shop Canna Culture have just launched a recycling program for cannabis and CBD packaging, even if you didn’t buy the item(s) there. Here’s the announcement we received today:

Canna West Seattle’s sister store, the Canna Culture Shop, which is located across the street at 5435 California Ave SW, announced today that it has created a recycling program for cannabis and CBD product containers. Though the program is focused primarily on West Seattle residents, anyone from anywhere can deposit all of their cannabis and CBD-related recyclables at the Canna Culture Shop.

“Some experts estimate that by 2020 the cannabis industry will be generating over one billion units of single-use plastic packaging waste per year,” says Canna West Seattle and Canna Culture owner Maryam Mirnateghi. “As an entrepreneur in this industry, that statistic bothers me and it bothers my staff, so we are taking action.”

Last year journalist Kristen Milares Young published a landmark story in the Washington Post, “Garbage from Washington state’s booming pot industry clogs gutters, sewers and landfills.” In a followup interview with KUOW radio, she stated that, “in California, Oregon, and Colorado, $217 million in doob tubes were sold in just one 12-month period.”

All of Seattle’s ‘doob tubes’ (pre-rolled joint packaging), regardless of whether or not they are made of recyclable plastics, are going straight to its landfills. According to Washington’s state regulations, any plastic tube material that has a lid smaller than three inches across cannot be recycled and must be sent to a landfill.

But: “We want to point out that we are collecting joint tubes as well in hopes that we can come up with a real solution for recycling them soon, in the very least, we hope it will keep trash off the ground,” says Mirnateghi. “The solution may involve something technology focused and in a city full of world-class engineers, we likely have the talent to overcome what is a global problem. Or it may involve something art-focused. Either way, we are committed to leading the charge for change in this specific arena so stay tuned.”

Canna is thanking those who participate in its Canna Collect Recycling Program by offering discounts and membership rewards at both retail locations. To recycle used cannabis and CBD packages, anyone who wants to participate can simply bring them to the Canna West Seattle Culture Shop and the store’s staff will take care of their immediate disposal.

coffeedude September 3, 2019 (12:13 pm)

Regardless of pot related items, its frustrating that anything smaller than 3 inches cannot be recycled!

Maryam September 3, 2019 (4:16 pm)

We AGREE! We are working on shedding light on this issue and hopefully finding a real sustainable solution. The community’s support is so vital and we are very touched at the incredible response and participation we have from West Seattle. We love our neighborhood!

eli September 3, 2019 (12:28 pm)

That’s good, nice to see them acknowledging the issue. I live down the street and see packaging on the ground constantly. That said the more pressing concern with the industry is energy usage.Recycling is nice, but we’ve got to figure out how to use less power:Pot is power hungry: why the marijuana industry’s energy footprint is growing
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/27/marijuana-industry-huge-energy-footprint

Matt P September 3, 2019 (6:07 pm)

That will be solved when it is legal in more areas where it can be grown without power.

RickB September 3, 2019 (5:42 pm)

Maryam, if you’re still monitoring these comments… Can we bring in the plastic bags/sleeves that some flower comes in as well as the hard plastic tubes and containers? What about the small glass jars? Thanks!

tylerdaron September 4, 2019 (12:11 pm)

Rick, we are currently accepting all of those items. The only things we are not taking at this moment are disposable vape pens and also vape cartridges. Please feel free to come by the Canna Culture Shop whenever you want to recycle!

highonalki September 3, 2019 (6:48 pm)

This has always bothered me. People don’t want to throw away the packaging at home or have it in their car, so they just throw it out their car window or on the ground. I pick up plenty of pot related trash every week in Alki. Good move Canna!

EMO September 3, 2019 (9:24 pm)

Origins also has a place for glass containers to be dropped of for reuse/recycling.

SoloRider September 4, 2019 (7:20 pm)

It is the plastic and non-recyclable plastic that is choking the fish in the Sound, not the glass, so I’m missing the benefit of that program to the local environment, such as the Puget Sound, Pacific Ocean, etc? Sounds like a bit of greenwashing, really.