“$5400 — all in small bills and the whole thing smelled like marijuana.”
That’s how entrepreneurs Deb Baker and Barb Diner describe the first payment they received from a Denver marijuana dispensary for their plastic cannabis containers. Afraid the local bank would look at them askance when they went to make the deposit, the two put the money in Ms. Baker’s clothes dryer and tumbled it with some Febreeze sheets to get the smell out. By then the bank had closed so they stored the money in Ms. Baker’s freezer under some loaves of bread until the next day. “We literally laundered the money,” Ms. Baker laughs, “and ended up with cold hard cash.” Such are the experiences of the service and supplies providers to the marijuana industry.
In response to the estimated 300,000 pounds of legal marijuana that will be sold in Colorado and the millions of containers used to package it, Higher Standard Packaging of Denver has introduced the first eco-friendly containers composed of FDA-approved, recycled milk jug plastic and manufactured specifically for the marijuana industry.
R2 Containers are created from recycled milk jugs consisting of 100 percent high-density polyethylene (HDPE-2). Manufactured in the U.S. and BPA free, this resin meets stringent purity standards through a patented cleaning process that eliminates all contaminants without exposing the resin to any chemical treatments or processes. The FDA has approved the recycled resin for food contact.
The resin meets strict sustainability standards and according to EPA data, it accounts for far less environmental impact than virgin resin used in other containers. Production of recycled resin uses 90 percent less energy and emits 78 percent less greenhouse gases than virgin resin.
Higher Standard Packaging announced that Terrapin Care Station, with two dispensaries in Boulder and two dispensaries opening in Aurora, will be the first cannabis company in the nation to package marijuana using R2 Containers.
Christine Kirk, with a degree in environmental science and the packaging manager for Terrapin Care Station, inspired the search for more environmentally-friendly packaging last January as she watched thousands of plastic bottles leave the dispensaries.
Terrapin Care Station places recycling receptacles in its dispensaries to help minimize the environmental impact of its containers, but Kirk stated, “Collecting used bottles just isn’t enough to address the environmental implications of creating and using virgin plastic resin to manufacture all of the containers needed to package marijuana and marijuana-infused products. Our industry needs an eco-friendly container that can be recycled and won’t affect the recycling stream adversely.”
Chris Woods, owner of Terrapin Care Station dispensaries, said, “This new solution makes us feel better about fostering an environmentally-friendly approach to child-proof marijuana packaging while maintaining the freshness of our high quality products for consumers.” Tara Riseley, Terrapin’s Brand Manager, added she is “excited to round out Terrapin’s sustainability efforts.”
Echoing the need for more environmentally friendly packaging Morgan Iwersen, an edibles manufacturer and owner of Canyon Cultivation in Denver said, “It is our responsibility as manufacturers to be positive examples for not only our industry but all industries when it comes to the role we play in our nation’s carbon footprint. Utilizing an eco-friendly container that also provides child-resistant closures is a no brainer.”
Julie Dooley, president and co-creator of Julie’s Baked Goods in Denver, added, “Julie’s Baked Goods is excited to see a product which addresses the issue of environmental waste with packaging within our industry. Reducing our carbon footprint is a priority for Julie’s Baked Goods, and it is encouraging to see other entrepreneurs working toward the same priority.”
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