Medical marijuana waste disposal requires special care and isn’t as simple as throwing it away. Aside from plant waste itself (trim, flowers, and buds), there are other kinds of waste generated by medical marijuana businesses that need special treatment—including hazardous and recyclable products
If you own a medical marijuana facility or are considering moving into this growing sector, you’ll need to know the basics about cannabis waste disposal to remain in compliance with the law and remain in good standing with your licensing agency.
Why Medical Marijuana Waste Is Controlled
Thirty-six states and four U.S. territories have legalized cannabis for medical use. However, the plant and its psychoactive component—THC—remain Schedule I controlled drugs at a federal level. This causes confusion when it comes to cannabis waste because the material may be legal in the facility where it was produced but illegal while in transit from one facility to another.
To satisfy the administrative rules for cannabis operations, disposal of medical marijuana waste must follow strict protocols as far as storage, processing, transport, and end-of-life treatment. Every step of the process is documented together with license numbers and the weight of the material for easy tracing.
Types of Medical Marijuana Waste
Any business that produces waste in the course of its activities is referred to as a “waste generator.” In the medical marijuana industry, generators include:
- Growers
- Processors
- Testing facilities
- Dispensaries
Each of these types of businesses creates different kinds of waste, which must be stored, transported, and treated in specific ways.
Growers
Cultivation facilities grow various strains of Cannabis sativa for use in the medical marijuana market. Typically, the flower buds are harvested to create dried flower products, extracts, and concentrates, leaving waste product in the form of trim, stalks, fan leaves, roots, and stems.
This debris, along with dead plants and surplus flower-based products, must be rendered “unusable and unrecognizable” before storage, transport, and disposal by grinding it down and mixing it with material such as compost (if compostable) or plastic (if non-compostable).
Processors
After the initial harvesting and drying phase, cannabis processors turn the raw material into products to be sold in licensed dispensaries. This could include vapes, resin, dabs, topical creams, oils, and tinctures. During and after the manufacturing process, processors will need to take care of the lawful disposal of sub-par medical marijuana waste and any excess created during processing.
In addition to producing restricted waste such as that produced by cannabis growers, processors often have waste that falls into the “hazardous” category—such as butane—and recyclable waste such as vape pens that can be returned by customers or dispensaries after use. In addition, processors tend to generate a lot of food waste, plastic waste, cardboard waste, paper waste, and other forms of common waste, so they must be especially diligent about sorting each waste stream properly.
Testing Facilities
In every state where medical marijuana is allowed, there are strict testing protocols for cannabis products. Typically, a sample of each batch of a product is sent to a licensed laboratory for testing and the results made available to consumers.
After the testing of each sample is complete, the laboratory needs to follow the same protocols as growers and processors for disposing of the residues and product samples, as well as any chemicals used in the process that may be classed as hazardous waste.
Dispensaries
As the interface between the cannabis industry and the consumer, dispensaries need to deal with faulty and returned medical marijuana products as well as products that may expire on the shelf. Disposal of this kind of medical marijuana waste requires separating out the contents and the packaging for appropriate waste disposal and recycling.
Many dispensaries offer recycling programs for composite products like vape pens that are hazardous if thrown in the trash (as they contain lithium-ion batteries) but can be recycled for their metal and plastic parts if returned and processed in the appropriate way.
Cannabis Waste Experts Can Help You Meet Your Basic Requirements
Medical marijuana waste disposal can be a complex, time-consuming, and confusing task when your facility generates multiple types of waste materials. However, if you don’t follow all of the relevant laws for disposal, you could risk heavy fines or even the revocation of your business license. The cost of waste management is negligible compared to the cost of compliance issues.
Moreover, incorrectly disposed of cannabis waste can contaminate the local water and soil, giving rise to complaints from members of the community. That’s why all commercial licensees — from medical marijuana research facilities to dispensary owners and cannabis cultivation professionals — must be diligent about educating themselves.
To make the entire process easier, experienced cannabis waste disposal companies can help you remain compliant by assessing your waste management needs, providing correctly labeled locked container units, and separating the waste items for composting, recycling, burying, and incineration.
Finally, the waste is taken to an appropriate marijuana waste disposal facility, and you’re provided with a certificate of destruction as part of the collection service. Your average solid waste facility might not accept cannabis waste, so it’s important to know your options.
Take a responsible approach to marijuana waste and protect your business—and bottom line—today.
