Washington state took a big step in making the cannabis industry a little greener when the legislature passed SB 5376 which will allow the sale of cannabis waste and cut down on landfill waste. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee, with the help of sisters McKenzie and Avery, on Monday, March 25, 2024.
SB 5376 allows a licensed producer or processor to sell cannabis waste to the public to be used in gardening applications such as composting or as insecticides, in industrial materials such as “hempcrete,” or many other uses that seem to be growing along with the industry.
The Need for a Greener Industry
Washington state currently has roughly 2,200 cannabis producer and processor licenses. While not all are the same and waste generated from each can be significantly different, Zero Waste Washington estimates cannabis producers can produce roughly 500-1,000 pounds of organic cannabis waste every week. Further records from Washington state show that cannabis operations as a whole can produce tens of thousands of pounds of organic cannabis waste each year.
Prior to the passage of SB 5376, Washington law required producers and processors to render all cannabis waste unusable before it was to
