Building on the Purple Hills Centre’s Purple Bin program, which has collected over 2.8 tonnes of packaging and hardware waste from 1,000-plus Authorized Cannabis Stores since January 2024, the project seeks to develop circular solutions that divert the collected waste to recycling and reuse, in addition to refuse-derived fuel processing.

The primary goal is to divert at least 30% of collected waste to recycling and reuse within the first year. To achieve this, Purple Hills Centre will partner with innovative waste management companies to:

• improve sortation processes

• identify recyclable and reusable materials, including growing e-waste streams

• remanufacture recovered materials for future commercial use

The project also aims to expand industry participation by engaging at least 10 cannabis Licensed Producers and two packaging suppliers, as both waste contributors and buyers of recycled packaging.

By integrating reuse into cannabis packaging practices, this initiative will create a replicable model for circular economy adoption, reducing environmental impact and demonstrating how producer responsibility can be meaningfully implemented in Ontario’s regulatory landscape.