Environmental Effect of Single-Use Plastics in Cannabis

Stop by any dispensary, and you’ll see a wide array of single-use plastic containers: pop-top vials, Mylar bags, pre-roll tubes, or plastic cartridges for vape pens. Each year, as the cannabis industry grows, so does its consumption of single-use plastics—and with it, a host of environmental challenges that extend far beyond the dispensary door. While these plastics serve a function—protecting products from contamination, providing child-resistant features, and meeting regulatory requirements—they also contribute significantly to our ongoing waste crisis.

Globally, plastic pollution has become a pressing concern. According to a 2019 report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), around 300 million tons of plastic waste are generated every year worldwide, and a significant portion of that waste is composed of single-use plastics (UNEP, 2019). These items are designed for convenience: they are used once and then discarded. The problem is that plastic is a remarkably durable material, and most of these items will persist in the environment for decades—sometimes centuries—if not properly managed.

The cannabis sector, though relatively new in many regions, is not exempt from this issue. In fact, strict regulations on packaging—aimed at ensuring child safety and preserving product quality—often lead dispensaries and manufacturers to choose non-recyclable or hard-to-recycle plastics. How do these decisions affect the environment, and what steps can the industry take to mitigate the damage? 

By understanding the journey of single-use plastics from production to disposal, we can better appreciate why a shift toward recyclable packaging—and proper waste management—can make a profound difference, not just for the cannabis industry, but for the planet at large.

The Rise of Single-Use Plastics in Cannabis Packaging

The global cannabis market has seen rapid growth in recent years. A report by Grand View Research estimates that the legal cannabis market size will reach $73.6 billion by 2027 (Grand View Research, 2020). Each new product—flowers, edibles, vape cartridges—requires packaging that meets legal and safety requirements. For example, many states and provinces mandate that cannabis packaging must be:

• Child-resistant and tamper-evident.
• Opaque to prevent visibility of the product.
• Sealed to maintain freshness and potency.
• Labeled with legally required information such as THC content and health warnings.

These requirements often translate into plastic containers, many of which are used once and discarded immediately after the product is consumed. In a nascent industry racing to keep up with consumer demand and regulatory mandates, convenience and compliance often overshadow environmental considerations—at least initially.

While some dispensaries are starting to adopt more eco-friendly materials like glass jars or hemp-based packaging, plastic remains the dominant choice due to its low cost, lightweight nature, and compliance flexibility. Consequently, single-use plastic in cannabis packaging has skyrocketed, contributing to the broader global crisis of plastic waste.

Common Types of Cannabis Packaging: Pop-Tops, Mylar Bags, and Cartridges

Pop-Top Vials

These are among the most recognizable forms of cannabis packaging. Pop-tops are small, often cylindrical plastic containers designed to be child-resistant. They’re convenient, cheap to produce, and light to ship. However, their design typically includes mixed plastic layers and, sometimes, metal springs or hinges to enable child-resistant functionality, complicating the recycling process.

Mylar Bags

Mylar bags, made from boPET (biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate), have become ubiquitous for cannabis flowers and edibles. They’re favored for their lightweight and air-tight properties, preserving product freshness and potency. Yet Mylar is often multi-layered, combining plastic layers with aluminum foil or other materials. This multi-layer composition makes it difficult or nearly impossible to recycle in most municipal systems (Sustainable Packaging Coalition, 2021).

Cartridges (Vape Pens)

Vape cartridges pose a particularly difficult challenge. They often contain plastic, metal, and electronic components, all of which must be separated for proper recycling. Furthermore, vape cartridges may contain residual oils or liquids that are considered hazardous if not disposed of properly. The complexity of these devices means many end up being tossed into regular trash, heading straight to landfills or incinerators.

Journey from Production to Disposal

Understanding the life cycle of a single-use plastic item in the cannabis industry provides key insights into its overall environmental impact.

1. Production
   • Plastic is typically derived from fossil fuels like crude oil and natural gas. Extracting and refining these resources not only emits greenhouse gases but can also cause ecosystem damage, such as oil spills or deforestation for drilling infrastructure.
   • Manufacturing plastic pellets or resin into containers requires energy, adding further to the carbon footprint.
2. Transportation
   • Once produced, plastic packaging materials are shipped—often over long distances—to cannabis manufacturers or processing facilities. These transportation steps burn fossil fuels, increasing CO2 emissions.
3. Usage
   • Cannabis consumers use the packaging for a relatively short timeframe—sometimes just days or weeks. Once the product is consumed, the packaging becomes waste.
4. Disposal
   • In an ideal scenario, consumers would clean and recycle containers—if their local system accepts them. In reality, most single-use cannabis plastics end up landfilled or incinerated due to contamination, lack of recycling facilities, or confusion about disposal methods.
5. Environmental Persistence
   • Plastics can take decades to centuries to break down fully, especially in landfills where oxygen and sunlight exposure are limited. Even when plastics do degrade, they often break into microplastics—tiny fragments that pollute our soil, air, and water.

At each stage of this life cycle, environmental impacts accumulate, ranging from emissions of greenhouse gases during production to pollution of ecosystems when discarded. The short lifespan of single-use cannabis packaging makes the cycle particularly wasteful, underscoring the urgent need for more sustainable options.

The Environmental Toll of Single-Use Plastics

Landfills and Waterways

Globally, it’s estimated that only about 9% of all plastic ever produced has been recycled (National Geographic, 2018). The rest is either incinerated or ends up in landfills—or worse, our oceans. When single-use cannabis packaging is tossed out without a second thought, it joins the mountains of plastic waste in these sites. Landfills lacking modern liners and controls can leak chemicals and microplastics into groundwater, contributing to long-term soil and water contamination (EPA, 2021).

Plastic pollution in waterways and oceans is especially alarming. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch—an accumulation of plastic debris in the North Pacific Ocean—is the most notorious example, now covering an area larger than the size of Texas (NOAA, 2020). While cannabis packaging might not be the main contributor to ocean waste yet, the sector is growing rapidly; failing to address single-use plastic could exacerbate this problem over time.

The Microplastics Problem

When plastics do break apart, they form microplastics—tiny fragments less than 5 mm in size (Smith et al., 2018). These small plastic bits have been found in drinking water, human blood, and animal tissues across the globe, raising serious questions about potential health impacts (Leslie et al., 2022). While more research is needed, there is concern that microplastics could cause toxicity in aquatic life and potentially harm human health through the food chain.

Harm to Wildlife

Countless studies document the detrimental effects of plastic on wildlife, especially marine animals. Turtles, seabirds, and fish can mistake plastic bags or fragments for food, leading to malnutrition, internal injuries, or even death (WWF, 2021). Birds can become entangled in plastic rings or end up feeding microplastics to their chicks. On land, scavenging animals at landfills can ingest plastic, leading to intestinal blockages or exposure to harmful chemicals.

Cannabis packaging can be a specific hazard if it contains residual THC or other substances, potentially making wildlife ill or altering their behavior. Though less common, this risk highlights another way that improper disposal of cannabis plastics can harm ecosystems.

The Carbon Footprint of Plastics

Beyond issues of litter and wildlife harm, single-use plastics also carry a significant carbon footprint. The production of plastics from fossil fuels is energy-intensive, releasing large amounts of CO2. Studies estimate that plastic production and incineration could emit the equivalent of 850 million tons of CO2 globally in 2030 if current trends continue (CIEL, 2019). This figure doesn’t account for the additional emissions from transportation, disposal, and eventual methane production in landfills.

When scaled down to the cannabis industry, each pop-top container or Mylar bag might seem insignificant, but collectively, millions of these are used every year. As legalization expands, so does this environmental burden—prompting the question: Is there a better way?

A Looming Crisis or an Opportunity for Change?

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of the single-use plastic problem. However, this challenge can be reframed as an opportunity for the cannabis industry to demonstrate leadership in sustainability. Since much of the modern cannabis sector is newly developed—built over the past decade as more regions legalized medical and recreational use—it is well-positioned to adopt innovative, eco-friendly approaches from the outset.

Many consumers who use cannabis value holistic health, natural products, and environmental stewardship. That sentiment can translate into market demand for dispensaries and brands that prioritize sustainability. By investing in recyclable packaging or take-back programs, cannabis businesses can appeal to eco-conscious consumers and potentially set new industry-wide standards.

Regulatory bodies and state governments are also starting to pay closer attention. Some states have introduced extended producer responsibility (EPR) initiatives, which shift the financial burden of waste management from taxpayers to the companies that produce the waste. This trend suggests the future cannabis market might favor businesses that preemptively address packaging waste.

Green For Green (GFG): A Mission for Sustainable Cannabis Packaging

One promising approach to addressing the single-use plastic problem in cannabis is the development of specialized recycling and circular economy initiatives. Green For Green (GFG) exemplifies this model by focusing on recyclable packaging and creating an infrastructure that ensures these materials actually get recycled, rather than ending up in landfills.

Specialized Recycling and Packaging

Traditional municipal recycling programs often reject Mylar bags, pop-top vials, and vape cartridges because these items are difficult to process. By contrast, GFG partners directly with dispensaries, growers, and consumers to collect, sort, and recycle these materials properly. Through dedicated drop-off locations and educational campaigns, GFG ensures that:

1. Contamination is minimized: Consumers are guided on how to clean and prepare containers, reducing the likelihood of entire batches being contaminated.
2. Materials are identified and separated: Instead of the “one-size-fits-all” approach of single-stream recycling, GFG sorts cannabis packaging by type (e.g., PET vs. HDPE plastics, metal cartridges vs. plastic cartridges).
3. Recyclable outputs find end markets: GFG works with specialized processing plants that can handle tricky plastics like Mylar or composite materials, ensuring they get a second life instead of being landfilled.

Driving Industry Collaboration

Beyond recycling, GFG encourages circular design principles, pushing manufacturers to develop single-material packaging that is easier to recycle. By advocating for industry-wide adoption of simpler, more eco-friendly materials, GFG aims to reduce the total volume of plastic waste from the outset.

Consumer Engagement and Education

One of the biggest barriers to effective recycling is consumer confusion. GFG addresses this through outreach programs, tutorials, and even in-store signage at partner dispensaries. Education empowers consumers to:

• Rinse out containers and remove labels where possible.
• Separate different components (lids, paper inserts, etc.).
• Identify which types of plastic local facilities accept.
• Participate in GFG’s specialized drop-off or mail-back programs.

This combination of industry collaboration and consumer engagement offers a blueprint for how the cannabis sector can tackle single-use plastic—and perhaps even lead by example for other industries struggling with similar waste issues.

Conclusion

The rampant use of single-use plastics has far-reaching environmental consequences, from overflowing landfills and microplastic pollution to wildlife endangerment and rising carbon emissions. The cannabis industry, with its reliance on child-resistant and often non-recyclable plastic packaging, is contributing to this global crisis. But it also holds the potential to be part of the solution.

Pop-top vials, Mylar bags, and vape cartridges are just a few examples of how single-use plastics have become ingrained in everyday cannabis operations. These items, designed for a moment’s convenience, can linger in the environment for generations. Rather than viewing this as an inevitable cost of doing business, stakeholders in the cannabis sector—cultivators, dispensaries, consumers, and policymakers—can seize the opportunity to innovate and collaborate.

Organizations like Green For Green (GFG) demonstrate what’s possible when sustainability and circular economy principles are placed at the forefront. By offering specialized recycling for cannabis packaging, advocating simpler packaging designs, and engaging consumers in responsible disposal, GFG represents a tangible path forward.

For readers, whether you’re a consumer or a business owner, the call to action is clear:

• Reduce reliance on single-use plastics wherever possible.
• Recycle properly, including seeking out specialized programs for items that can’t go in your normal bin.
• Support and demand sustainable packaging from your favorite brands and dispensaries.
• Educate friends, family, and coworkers about the importance of proper disposal and the availability of greener alternatives.

The cannabis industry is at a crossroads where environmental stewardship can become both a market advantage and a moral imperative. By acknowledging the environmental toll of single-use plastics and embracing specialized recycling and design innovations, we can steer the industry—and our planet—toward a cleaner, healthier future.

References

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