A Massachusetts cannabis company is trying to help protect the environment by finding new life for the individual packages used in the industry.
Tree House Craft Cannabis, which has dispensaries in Dracut and Pepperell, and a new location opening soon in Groton, introduced its new recycling program last year as a way to cut down on plastic waste.
To date, the company has collected more than 400 pounds of material for recycling, representing thousands of customers participating in the program.
“Millions of these products are being sold annually,” Ture Turnbull, the company’s co-CEO said. “It’s not quite the Bottle Bill (which allows consumers to recycle bottles and cans for a rebate), but it is an initiative to share our values and to set it right.”
In Massachusetts, like other states where it is legal, the packaging of marijuana is strictly regulated.
Cannabis products must be packaged in child-proof, opaque containers with plain designs and clear labeling, from larger amounts of flower down to individual pre-rolled joints. Because of this, the industry produces a lot of small plastic containers, which frequently end up in the garbage.
The issue was brought up in a staff meeting by one of the company’s employees, who was concerned about the effect it was having on the environment.
Turnbull explained that he and his co-CEO Wes Ritchie are passionate about their values and try to stay true to those values with their business decisions. So it made sense to come up with a plan to change things.
He compared the plastic packaging to single-use plastic bottles. In September, Gov. Maura Healey banned state agencies from purchasing them.
“[This industry] is still in its infancy, but if you don’t set the parameters correctly in the beginning, you’re going to end up with a much larger problem at the end,” he said.
It took about a year to research the problem and make sure they were following all the state regulations, but in May, the company officially launched its new recycling program.
Customers can bring in any used plastic, glass or metal cannabis container, regardless of whether the product was originally purchased at Tree House, and turn it in for a $4 pre-roll.
The company then sorts all of the donated packaging and sends it on to a recycling company, which turns the re-used plastic into new packaging that Tree House uses for their own pre-rolls produced at their farm in Colrain.
The plastic is also used for other products, such as flip-flops and plastic trays. And Turnbull said the company has even put out a call for artists to create a public art installation from the recycled materials.
While they’re still in the first year of the program, Ritchie and Turnbull are already hoping to help spread it to others in the cannabis industry.
They’ve spoken with the owners of other dispensaries who have been interested in implementing similar programs, and are also advocating at the state level for the Cannabis Control Commission to consider encouraging recycling among cannabis companies, with generally positive feedback so far.
Ritchie said Tree House wants to “plant the flag” on recycling, taking the first steps to make it easier for other companies to follow. He said they’ve done extensive research and consideration for the program, down to ensuring that their plastic packaging and labels have the same melting point to make them easier to recycle.
“It doesn’t have to be perfect, because right now, it’s a disaster. We’re trying to make it better,” he said. “We’re really trying to also signal that the barrier of entry is not that high. If you are a company that cares about this, you can participate too, and still have a positive impact in the right direction.”
