Nearly 21 tonnes of empty cannabis containers returned to SQDC for recycling

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Are cannabis lovers green? In less than a year, they have returned nearly 21 tonnes of empty plastic containers to the Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC) to be recycled.

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More precisely, 2,291,143 containers were recycled in 2020-21, according to the SQDC. Because the recovery program for all its packaging started only in August 2020, the number doesn’t even cover a full year.

It is, however, impossible to know what proportion of containers sold this figure represents: The government-owned company doesn’t want to say, for “commercial” reasons.

There is no deposit on SQDC containers, except for beverages included in the RECYC-QUÉBEC consignment system. Quebecers who return containers to SQDCs outlets don’t get money for them: It just means the containers don’t end up in the trash.

The SQDC says one advantage of returning empty containers is that they aren’t contaminated by other materials, such as what ends up in blue boxes. Also, it says sending uniform material to businesses that process it means it can be re-used more easily.

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The SQDC has partnered with TerraCycle, a U.S.-based recycling business, and supports the idea of its containers being transformed into urban furniture, like park benches or flower boxes. It says TerraCycle can also recycle bags, which could otherwise end up in landfill.

Still, it’s impossible to verify this information and to know what happens to these containers or how many were used to manufacture other products, according to the Canadian Press: TerraCycle did not respond to emails or a phone call.

The SQDC says it is looking to go further with its environmental efforts. “We are also working with experts in sustainable development to come up with an action plan for containers and packaging that is more eco-responsible,” it said recently on its Facebook page.

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The SQDC has been criticized for the fact that several of its products considered “over-packaged” and environmentally unsustainable. It says it is aware of this and that the packaging, particularly of plastic containers inside cardboard boxes, is required by “strict” regulations in Canada intended to “prevent accidental consumption and to dissuade children and youth from consuming cannabis products.”

Some customers would like to see recycling bins for packaging in front of SQDC branches so they don’t have to stand in line to return empty containers; others say they are embarrassed about returning multiple containers. For its part, the SQDC says it can’t ensure control over materials placed in outdoor bins.