California cannabis waste disposal company has developed a groundbreaking program to keep potentially hazardous vape pens out of landfills
MONTEREY, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 28, 2020 / Since its inception in the fall of 2018, GAIACA Waste Revitalization's one-of-a-kind Vape Pen Recycling Program has successfully recycled over 3 million vape pens collected from over 350 retail storefronts, distribution hubs, and Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection centers throughout California, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Florida, and New York.
GAIACA sets up a lockable collection receptacle within the participant's facility and provides service on a routine or as-needed basis. Used, unused, defective, expired, or non-compliant vape pens are all suitable for recycling through GAIACA's one-of-a-kind program.
Vape pens are intended to be used once and discarded, but disparities in state and federal waste regulations have created confusion and difficulty in compliantly managing this unique stream of waste. Even when waste generators believe they are doing the right thing, they are often inadvertently in violation of the law.
Between the cannabis and nicotine industries, it is estimated that tens of millions of vape pens are landfilled each year. Environmental and public health dangers associated with the improper management of vape pens include the risk of fires, greenhouse gas emissions through photochemical reactions, and leaching of toxic chemicals into the ground.
GAIACA has been working diligently to provide commercial businesses and consumers with a solution for their vape pen waste that bridges the gap between state and federal regulation and puts the environment and public health first. GAIACA's Vape Pen Recycling Program utilizes a proprietary process in which vape pens undergo an onsite pre-treatment, meeting state cannabis waste requirements.
The vape pens are subjected to a hardening pigment that coats the outer casing (making them unrecognizable) and fills the mouthpiece (making them unusable). Once completed, the vape pens are packaged in UN-rated, DOT-labelled containers for transport, documented on a providing "cradle-to-grave" tracking, and transported by GAIACA (a registered Hazardous Waste transporter) to a partnered permitted treatment facility for recycling.
Upon arrival, the pens are submerged in liquid nitrogen, crushed and pulverized, and fed into a High Temperature Metal Reclamation (HTMR) system. Generators are provided with a final certificate documenting the total count, weight, and volume of vape pens recycled.
Commercial businesses, consumers, and municipal agencies have enrolled in GAIACA's Vape Pen Recycling Program and contributed to the growing number of vape pens successfully diverted from landfills nationwide. Generators hoping to learn more about the program are encouraged to contact GAIACA.
About GAIACA
GAIACA is the nation's first fully licensed and compliant cannabis waste management company. They assist businesses of all sizes in accordance with local and state law.
GAIACA
P.O. Box 188
Gonzales, CA 93926
(831) 264-4242
SOURCE: GAIACA