A bill sent to Governor Jay Inslee aims to allow Washington cannabis operators to repurpose green waste into commercial products like compost and hempcrete, shifting away from less eco-friendly landfill disposal methods.
Washington Approves Bill Allowing Conversion of Cannabis Waste Into Compost & Other Products
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Washington lawmakers this week sent a proposal to Gov. Jay Inslee’s (D) desk that would allow cannabis operators to convert their green waste into commercial composts and other products, the Spokesman-Review reports.
Under the bill, cannabis operators in the state could turn the byproducts of commercial cannabis harvests including the plants’ stalks, stems, leaves, and roots into other commercial products including composts, hempcrete, and other fiber-based products. Any final products sold to the public would need to carry a THC concentration of less than 0.3%.
Current state law requires cannabis waste to be disposed of in landfills after being ground up with another material like kitty litter or sawdust, the report said.
“This doesn’t do our society any good to be continuing to fill landfills, especially when it’s being mixed with nonorganic garbage piling up or being put into plastic contractor bags before it’s dumped.” — Blue Roots Cannabis owner Seth Shamberg, via the Spokesman-Review
The proposal unanimously passed the Senate on Monday after being approved last month by House lawmakers in a 94-2 vote.
If signed into law, the move would be a somewhat rare legislative win for cannabis advocates in Washington state after a proposal to legalize cannabis home grows died in committee yet again this year.
Lawmakers passed a bill last year to protect job seekers in the state from being rejected for their off-the-clock cannabis use; that policy took effect on January 1.
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