There is no getting past it: the cannabis industry creates a lot of waste. From seed to sale, gobs of garbage enter landfills by way of weed. On the consumer end, packaging is a real nuisance, and much of it is not recyclable. When something is not recyclable, it is time to figure out how to reuse it.
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Those who bring home lots of dispensary goodies have surely watched the little eighth jars and mylar bags stack up. It is unlucky that much of this packaging is not biodegradable, but there is a little magic left in it. Reuse cannabis packaging. Many jars, bags, and other containers used to package cannabis products are also useful around the house.
Giving new life to weed jars
Cannabis flowers often come packaged in glass jars, which keep them fresher than bags or boxes. Many have a plastic lid while others have aluminum or even cork. Once these vessels are finished carrying weed, they are useful storage tools in the kitchen, bathroom, and garage. Not all of these jars are airtight, but some are. Save those airtight ones for the kitchen and bathroom.
Those who make skincare products at home will love the jars for exfoliating scrubs and masks. As for the kitchen, the jars are an obvious choice for refilling in the bulk spice aisle. Local natural grocers often have bulk sections where customers can fill containers with spices, flour, coffee beans, and more. This is an ideal place for reusing cannabis jars. Non-airtight jars are suitable for storing screws and nails of various shapes and sizes in the toolbox.
Flower is only one of the many products available at the weed shop. That means it is one of many types of cannabis packaging, too.
Doob tubes go a long way
Joints often come in plastic cylinders with tightly-shutting lids. These are called doob tubes and can be repurposed in various ways. These make for easy travel storage for small items like ibuprofin, toothpaste tablets, vitamins, and even dog treats while on a training walk. Those who like to get culinary on a camping trip could mix spice rubs into them for easy seasoning.
Collect beach sand or small shells on vacation in them, or, for the moms, use them for purse crayons for a bored kiddo. As with all of the packaging uses, there are endless uses for doob tubes with enough imagination.
A little dab’ll do ya
Wax, live resin, and other concentrates often come in small, hard containers similar to what you’d find lip balm in. Those who make their own balms and salves might consider reusing these for their products. Crafters may appreciate keeping glitter or bedazzling gems in them, too.
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These small containers also serve as great cannabis seed storage, just remember to keep it in the correct light and temperature to preserve them. The potential waste can also be incorporated into a dab routine.
Dab tubs are a lovely size for storing grinder kief. They also work wonders as an ISO container. Those who vape concentrates daily may find themselves dipping a cotton swab into a big isopropyl alcohol container in an attempt to keep the dab chamber clean.
Instead of regularly shoving fingers and swabs into a small bottle in hopes of capturing some cleaner, pour a small bit into an old dab container and swab it from there. It can be sealed up when not in use and opened as needed. This may eventually serve as an essential part of the dab station.
Mylar bag it up
This may be the hardest piece of cannabis packaging to repurpose, but it is possible. One excellent way to use mylar bags is as small, sealable trash bags. Take them on hikes and pick up little pieces of garbage along the way. This act of environmental kindness takes some of the sting from putting that mylar into the landfill.
Clean mylar bags can also be great for traveling rollies. Roll a few up at home for a park hang or barbecue and keep them safe by tucking them into a mylar bag. That is what they are used for in the industry, why not make extra use out of them at home? Don’t tuck them into a pocket, though, even though it fits perfectly. The mylar-bagged joints will likely bend or be sat on and squashed when stored there.
Reuse cannabis packaging before it’s landfill-bound
Unfortunately, there is no getting around cannabis packaging waste when shopping in most legal weed industries. One way to offset the garbage is to find inventive uses for the bags, jars, and containers that tend to pile up after unpacking a dispensary order.
Whether they grace the spice rack, get utilized in a dab station, or help keep trash off of the trail–there is more life left in those pieces of weed waste. Before tossing mylar and glass jars, see if there is another way they could help around the house, workspace, garage, or garden.
