Marijuana Business Magazine May-June 2019

Marijuana Business Magazine | May-June 2019 82 distinct rules for plant disposal, making it a challenge to monetize biomass waste that would be easier to sell if it came from other plants. No one knows just how much mar- ijuana and hemp waste is out there. Though states commonly tell cultiva- tors how to dispose of waste marijuana biomass, few keep track of how much they’re producing. On the hemp side, state regulations address the destruc- tion of hemp with too much THC, but no state tells farmers how legal hemp byproducts are to be treated. Many marijuana and cultivators recy- cle their waste in-house—especially their wastewater and growing media—and are hesitant to invite third-party vendors to participate or suggest alternatives. The heaviest part of hemp and mari- juana plants, the stalks, also has the few- est processing options. The stalks’ weight makes them expensive to haul long distances, meaning many farmers simply plow the stalks rather than bale them. But the economics of marijuana and hemp recycling could be changing. Some cultivators and processors say they’ve found buyers to turn waste bio- mass into marketable products. Tim Gordon, chief science officer for Functional Remedies, which makes hemp-derived, full-spectrum CBD oil in Superior, Colorado, said his company now gets about $100 a ton for root balls and other hemp waste that can’t be used in extraction. “There’s definitely a way to monetize cannabis waste,” Gordon explained. “Folks are making animal bedding with hemp hurd (and) using fibers and stalks for large-scale construction. “Even for post-extracted biomass, there is still beneficial content in there: proteins and things that could be used in a chain of commerce.” Make the Sale Gordon and cannabis-waste haulers shared some tips for making a business out of hemp and marijuana leftovers: Join a group: Gordon, who heads the Colorado chapter of the Hemp Industries Association, said industry networking is the best way to find out who might be buying something you’d like to sell. “A lot of the buyers are also members of trade organizations. Go to one and say, ‘I have this, and I’m looking to sell that.’ Those connections really work.” “Real cannabis recycling exists,” said Arman Zeytounyan, co-founder of EcoWaste Services. “This is not something you should throw away in the dumpster.” Courtesy Photo Cannabis stalks have the fewest processing options, though some companies are exploring their use for large-scale construction. Photo Courtesy of 9Fiber