When it comes to cannabis product waste, vape pens are a major concern. The cartridges, batteries, and in some cases the pen itself are all disposable, creating a lot of waste that is difficult to deal with due to its electronic nature. Vapes make up around 15% of the legal cannabis industry, and millions are sold every year.
This hasn’t gone unnoticed by Kolab Project. Recently, the culture-focused cannabis brand collaborated with Greentec, experts in handling electronic waste, to launch Kolab Project-branded recycling bins in Spiritleafstores.
“Kolab Project was committed to finding a solution to the problem of e-waste with vapes,” says Michael Greene, the Ontario Regional Manager for Spiritleaf. “The solution was to partner with e-waste disposal experts and retailers across Canada. We were thrilled to be one of the first retailers to be part of it.”
Since the project’s launch in August, the bins have only appeared in a few stores, but within the next couple of months customers should be seeing the bins in stores across BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario.
Once the bins are full, Greentec comes and collects them, taking the contents to their facility to dispose of them responsibly. Kolab Project estimates that around 10 million vapes will be sold next year, so this program could help divert millions of cartridges, batteries, and used vape pens away from the landfill. They know thatenvironmental sustainability is important to customers, and according to Greene, it’s important to them, too.
“We are conscious of the amount of waste generated in the cannabis industry and recognize the need for responsible recycling solutions,” he says. “By participating in recycling projects such as this, we’re able to make recycling a lot easier for our customers, so that they can just bring in their product packaging and their e-waste when they are coming back to our stores to shop.”