MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. (WXYZ) — The Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency sent a reminder to licensees Tuesday about the proper disposal of marijuana after receiving multiple reports of facilities having their waste receptacles entered and leftover product being removed.
According to the CRA, all product that is considered waste must be rendered into an unusable and unrecognizable form. A licensee must dispose of waste from marijuana products and plants in a secured waste receptacle using one or more of the following methods:
- A licensed municipal solid waste landfill
- A registered composting facility that has specific approval to accept the material
- An anaerobic digester that has specific approval to accept the material
- A permitted in-state municipal solid waste or hazardous waste incinerator
“If the general public or whoever, dumpster divers, thinks to go do this, don’t do it. It’s not a good idea because what you’re going to find is not something you can consume anyways," PUFF Cannabis Company Chief Legal Council Nick Hannawa said.
PUFF Cannabis Company has 10 locations across the state. They have a dedicated team of staff whose sole job is to make sure everything at the company is done in compliance with state law. Their disposal process is stringent and multifaceted. If their product expires or is damaged, they have a plan on how to get rid of it.
“We take that product that we determine is waste for various reasons and we have to render it into an unusable, unrecognizable form," Hannawa said.
That includes breaking the product down by mixing it with vinegar, cat liter and sometimes cement. The company takes pictures of the break-down process and then submits it to the state.
A specialized company then stops by to pick up the broken-down product to dispose of it properly off-site. It's a multi-step process that is lengthy but the law.
“Anybody who made it in this business that got the license, they should be following the CRA’s rules," Hannawa said. “The last thing you want is you’re throwing out edibles and not destroying of them properly and then they’re getting into the hands of the wrong people or into the hands of children or into the hands of somebody who shouldn’t have this product.”
7 Action News reached out to the CRA about where the dumpster diving incidents in the state took place but has not gotten a response.
