Over 150 million tons of waste is produced by the cannabis industry per year, according to O’Neil Rudolph, a Denver native making moves on the sustainable side of the plant.
“That number just grows every single year it’s calculated, which is really unfortunate,” she says. “I think one of the biggest issues is that all of that waste that’s accumulated really goes to the landfill, when a lot of it is recyclable, compostable or even reusable, and dispensaries don’t have a direct system to actually sustainably dispose of that waste.”
Rudolph, who now lives in California, has been working to create a system that incentivizes recycling at dispensaries with an easy path to get involved. Her soon-to-launch company, Cannachange, will soon do that in Colorado and beyond.
Shoppers using Cannachange will be able to download and utilize the app on their phones, allowing them to track purchases at participating dispensaries and earn points for shopping credit. Customers who shop with a recyclable bag or return recyclable cannabis packaging to dispensaries will earn one point, with 25 Cannachange points gaining a $5 dispensary credit.
Cannachange’s collection bin and recyclable shopping bag.
Courtesy of Cannachange
Dispensaries and consumers set up profiles within the app and receive scannable QR codes to track purchases and points; consumers will be able to locate partnering dispensaries in nearby areas and track the total packaging waste…
