Recycling Reefer: Proper Disposal of Cannabis Product in Massachusetts

There is no doubt that opening a marijuana business is complicated. Even taking out the trash has stringent requirements. Any marijuana refuse has to be secured, documented, and disposed of properly. Mass Ann Laws ch. 94G, § 4 (a ½) (xxviii) gives the Cannabis Control Commission power to regulate the disposal requirements for marijuana establishments. It also encourages the Commission to promote recycling within the industry. 

To properly recycle cannabis plant parts, they must be ground and mixed with other organic materials: food waste, soil, mulch, other plant waste. This will render the product unusable and ready for compost. If the facility does not have the physical space to compost the material on-site, the cannabis compost material may be sent to a facility approved to handle such materials, 935 CMR 502.105.

The department of Environmental Protection within the state of Massachusetts mandates that records be kept of any hazardous wastes created, stored, treated, disposed, or transferred for disposal, Mass Ann Laws ch. 21 C, § 6 and Mass Ann Laws ch. 111F, § 16. The Cannabis Control Commission of Massachusetts provides links to all disposal options and waste service providers on their website: https://mass-cannabis-control.com.

Secure Transport and In Transit Tracking of Plants and Product for the Cannabis Industry are also available

The marijuana industry is highly regulated at every level. It’s no surprise that waste management would be any different. It is also feasible that out of all processes to be overlooked within the planning of a Cannabis facility would be that of waste management, “…one of the top five cannabis cultivation violations for 2018 was cannabis waste management.” Commendatore, Cristina. “The Complicated World of Cannabis Waste Generation (Part One).” Waste 360, July 2019, https://www.waste360.com/legislation-regulation/complicated-world-cannabis-waste-generation-part-one

as a partner of the Total Harvest Coverage network, we assist cannabis facilities with designs, plans and deployment of compliant solutions to help them become more successful.

KL Security offers solutions to these rigorous regulations in the form of reinforced vault rooms, TL Rated DEA Approved safes, electronic data management storage and video surveillance solutions. Record keeping will undoubtedly be most efficiently be done electronically, and must be stored in a safe location to ensure access by local officials at a moment’s notice.

For more information on cannabis security plans and facility design, architectural programming and more, call 1-866-867-0306