BREWBOUND: Massachusetts Breweries Mark First Milestone With Can Carrier Reuse & Recycle Initiative

“Massachusetts – An initiative aimed at decreasing the millions of plastic can carriers that end up going to landfill or incineration each year in Massachusetts reached its first milestone last week with the successful completion of a Metro Boston pilot program. Since launching in early May at Lamplighter Brewing in Cambridge, Aeronaut Brewing in Somerville, Harpoon Brewery’s harbor side beer hall, and Trillium Brewing’s two Boston locations, environmentally conscious consumers have turned in nearly 20,000 of the not-curbside-recyclable carriers for reuse and proper recycling.

During the 8-week pilot some 8,000 carriers were donated to smaller Boston area breweries such as Portico Brewing, Bone Up Brewing, Remnant Brewing and others for reuse in packaging their beer. The remaining 335 pounds of HDPE #2 plastic carriers have been hauled away by the program’s sponsor, GreenLabs Recycling, which will deliver it to a local plastics processor to be shredded, melted and then pelletized into raw material for new plastic products. The first-of-its-kind collection and delivery model is now set to begin a steady pickup schedule at the aforementioned participating breweries.

As reported in a previous release, the amount of plastic beer packaging waste ending up in landfills each year is enough to fill any of the state’s largest breweries with discarded carriers rather than beer. Prior to the awareness campaign launched by Eco-Friendly Beer and the Mass. Brew Bros., just 10% were being collected and reused, and less than 2% recycled. Backed by the Massachusetts Brewers Guild as well as environmental groups like RecyclingWorks, RecycleSmart, Mass Recycle and others, the tide appears to be shifting.

It’s not just Metro Boston that has seen a surge in collections. Statewide, a notable uptick has occurred in consumer turn-ins of used carriers at practically every brewery or beer store willing to accept them. Inspired by success stories such as Stone Cow Brewing in Barre, which has packaged some 200,000 cans in sanitized and re-used carriers since initiating its reuse operation, or Scituate’s Untold Brewing, which has reused more carriers than any brewery in the state during the last year, many in the industry are realizing the benefits of such efforts. As a result, numerous breweries have revamped their collections efforts while dozens more have joined the movement. Both Navigation Brewing in Lowell and Bone Up Brewing in Everett have met with such success that they no longer need to buy new carriers and are instead pocketing the savings in packaging cost.”

To read the full story visit Brewbound below.

About Theory Wellness:

Theory Wellness is an East Coast medical and recreational cannabis brand; we cultivate cannabis, operate extraction labs, manufacture infused marijuana products, and proudly serve patients and customers at our marijuana dispensaries in Massachusetts and Maine.

Our focus is on small batch, craft cannabis that we cultivate using sustainable techniques on our outdoor cannabis farm and at our state-of-the-art indoor gardens. We run unique genetics to develop in-house premium products that include flower, concentrates, edibles, and an array of infusions for medical and recreational consumers in New England.

Throughout our work, we remain committed to expanding the science of cannabis, and creating the future we want to see in the emerging marijuana industry through social justice, sustainability, and research.

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