Safe disposal of medical marijuana and CBD crops
Across the UK a growing industry is discreetly blooming. Following the global shift in the usage of Cannabis for medical purposes and the boom in CBD for holistic purposes a new industry is cropping up all over the country. Formally known as Cannabis-Based Products for Medicinal Usage (CBPMs) this is an industry that is growing rapidly.
The UK is already established as one of the world’s largest exporters of medical marijuana. Alongside the recent boom in CBD products which are created from strains of cannabis with very low levels of THC (less than 0.2%). CBD (Cannabidiol) products can now be found sitting on supermarket shelves and in health stores worldwide.
The chemical composition of this plant introduces a number of complications when considering a sustainable approach to disposing of the remnants. Unable to be discarded with the traditional organic waste we were approached by industry innovators to provide them with a solution.
In this instance, Midlands was to be home to the first machine. Installed alongside the development of a new site allowing for a streamlined facility designed specifically around their particular requirements.
Having potentially narcotic properties the remnants and waste is not able to be simply discarded with general waste or incinerated using our standard two-chamber incineration process. As we have experience in providing solutions specifically for narcotics disposal sites we already had a solution prepared.
For this project, a compact yet powerful machine was agreed upon, the A30. A front-loading incinerator, enabling regular loading throughout the cycle, allows for high throughput in a very secure and efficient manner perfect for organic plant waste. Additional to the primary chamber for processing the waste and the secondary chamber, which cleans the gasses for a minimum retention time of 2 seconds additional facilities were required. In this instance, a full Venturi wet scrubber and advanced oxygen sensors and monitoring sensors were also installed. These extras ensure that all flue gasses are cleaned thoroughly before returning back into the environment. These additions are commonly found on our medical range of incinerators due to their highly efficient results for treating complex waste.
To be able to grow medical marijuana in the UK the MHRA and Home Office guidelines must be strictly adhered to for licensing to be agreed upon. Producers must constantly test crops to ensure that they do not exceed agreed levels of THC and other chemicals which could alter the nature and legality of the crops. Included in these regulations are several regarding disposal. Having an incinerator on-site allows the producer greater control of their business and guarantees that they are able to confirm exactly to guidance.
This is a great opportunity for many businesses to expand into, allowing the UK to reliably optimise upon its expertise in health care and horticulture. The legal cannabis industry is still in its infancy worldwide and is projected to grow to be worth more than £35 billion by the year 2024 up from £11.5 billion in 2019.
We are very proud of this installation which we have completed and are confident that as they continue to expand their vertical farming, commercial greenhouses and indoor grow houses the need for similar installations will continue.
