Weeding out single-use cannabis packaging waste

While some brands and states are looking for ways to reduce waste from this growing market, single-use plastics with limited recycling potential have already become the sector’s material of choice.

What happened

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Why it matters

Cannabis aficionados have long been stereotyped as earth-loving hippies, but that image may be starting to fade as America’s booming legal weed industry contends with a growing waste problem.

The regulated market for cannabis has grown quickly in recent years, with the drug now legalized for recreational use in 21 states and the District of Columbia and for medical use in 38 states. Strict packaging requirements are common in these markets, with many placing an emphasis on single-use designs. The U.S. market for cannabis packaging could grow more than tenfold over the next decade, ballooning from $842.7 million in sales in 2021 to an estimated $9.3 billion in 2030, per a report by Grand View Research.

In addition to the question of managing organic waste from cultivation facilities, the emergence of this sector also presents new issues with designing and managing packaging for the cannabis itself. It comes in many varieties including tiny vaping cartridges, “doob tubes” and resealable bags for dried cannabis flower.

This news brief is based on reporting published by Packaging Dive on 2023-04-20. The original report is linked below.