Tag Archives: disposal

February 11, 2021

New Guidance on Waste Disposal for Hemp Producers

By Stephanie McGraw, Emily Sellers

On January 15, 2021, the USDA published its final rule on US hemp production. The rule, which becomes effective on March 22, 2021, expands and formalizes previous guidance related to waste disposal of noncompliant or “hot” crops (crops with a THC concentration above .3 percent). Importantly for the industry, the new disposal rules remove unduly burdensome DEA oversight and provides for remediation options.

Producers will not be required to use a DEA reverse distributor or law enforcement to dispose of noncompliant plants. Instead, producers will be able to use common on-farm practices for disposal. Some of these disposal options include, but are not limited to, plowing under non-compliant plants, composting into “green manure” for use on the same land, tilling, disking, burial or burning. By eliminating DEA involvement from this process, the USDA rules serve to streamline disposal options for producers of this agricultural commodity.

Alternatively, the final rule permits “remediation” of noncompliant plants. Allowing producers to remove and destroy noncompliant flower material – while retaining stalk, stems, leaf material and seeds – is an important crop and cost-saving measure for producers, especially smaller producers. Remediation can also occur by shredding the entire plant to create “biomass” and then re-testing the biomass for compliance. Biomass that fails the retesting is noncompliant hemp and must be destroyed. The USDA has issued an additional guidance document on remediation. Importantly, this guidance advises that lots should be kept separate during the biomass creation process, remediated biomass must be stored and labeled apart from each other and from other compliant hemp lots and seeds removed from non-compliant hemp should not be used for propagative purposes.

The final rules have strict record keeping requirements, such rules ultimately protect producers and should be embraced. For example, producers must document the disposal of all noncompliant plants by completing the “USDA Hemp Plan Producer Disposal Form.” Producers must also maintain records on all remediated plants, including an original copy of the resample test results. Records must be kept for a minimum of three years. While USDA has not yet conducted any random audits, the department may conduct random audits of licensees.

Although this federal guidance brings some clarity to hemp producers, there still remains litigation risks associated with waste disposal. There are unknown environmental impacts from the industry and there is potential tort liability or compliance issues with federal and state regulations. For example, as mentioned above, although burning and composting disposal options for noncompliant plants, the final rule does not address the potential risk for nuisance complaints from smoke or odor associated with these methods.

At the federal level, there could be compliance issues with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and ancillary regulations like Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). In addition to government enforcement under RCRA and CERCLA, these hazardous waste laws also permit private party suits. Although plant material from cultivation is not considered hazardous, process liquids from extraction or distillation (ethanol, acetone, etc.) are hazardous. Under RCRA, an individual can bring an “imminent and substantial endangerment” citizen suit against anyone generating or storing hazardous waste in a way the presents imminent and substantial endangerment to health or the environment. Under CERCLA, private parties who incur costs for removal or remediation may sue to recover costs from other responsible parties.

At the state level, there could be issues with state agency guidance and state laws. For example, California has multiple state agencies that oversee cannabis and hemp production and disposal. CA Prop 65 mandates warnings for products with certain chemicals, including pesticides, heavy metals and THC. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires the evaluation of the environmental impact of runoff or pesticides prior to issuing a cultivation permit. Both environmental impact laws permit a form of private action.

Given the varied and evolving rules and regulation on hemp cultivation, it remains essential for hemp producers to seek guidance and the help of professionals when entering this highly regulated industry.

December 14, 2019

Managing Cannabis Waste and Protecting Your Business from Risk

By David Laks

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Cannabis producers know that they cannot treat plant waste like common yard waste. They need to develop a detailed waste disposal plan in order get a license to operate.

Failing to follow the approved plan and improperly disposing of dry waste materials and waste products from oil extraction leads to fines, liabilities or even having your license rescinded.

Learning to deal with cannabis waste appropriately is crucial to the success of an operation. There are a number of strict controls in place for dealing with any kind of hazardous waste, which can’t just be sent to a landfill or composting facility.

In the US, the EPA and state governments provide guidelines for disposing of hazardous waste properly, and other countries have federal and local requirements as well. The EPA, like other environmental bodies, differentiates between two types of waste: solid and liquid.

Solid waste disposal: The guideline for identifying solid waste is that it’s “unrecognizable and unusable.” This means no one should be able to look at a bag of waste and know immediately that it is cannabis. Many cannabis operations have a facility on site for grinding down the waste into smaller bits. If the waste is non-hazardous, it is mixed with other non-cannabis organics such as garden trimmings and then composted or sent to the appropriate landfill. If it’s hazardous, it’s mixed with cat litter, sand, plastic or sawdust and sent to the appropriate landfill.

Liquid waste disposal: Liquid waste is a bit more complicated. It must be disposed of properly or sent to a hazardous waste treatment facility. Cannabis operations must partner with a shipping company to dispose of the hazardous waste appropriately, unless they transport it themselves.

It can be confusing to manage the risks of proper disposal of cannabis waste. Keep it simple by following these three tips:

Become an expert in all the legal restrictions – and follow them. Federal restrictions will guide you overall, but local (i.e., state and municipal) restrictions are equally important and may vary.
Seek out experienced, reputable disposal companies – and hire the best one.Look for one that is familiar with handling hazardous waste in general and cannabis waste in particular.
Familiarize yourself with the guidelines for proper tracking, transportation and sign-offs – and follow them.Completing all appropriate documentation ensures you have a paper trail to protect you in the event of an audit. Much of the documentation creates a written record so inspectors can confirm appropriate handling.

Waste disposal policies should be reviewed regularly as state and municipal regulations can change. At the same time, it would be wise to review your environmental insurance policy to ensure your business is covered for any accidental releases.

It can be tempting to take shortcuts – saving both money and time – when it comes to hazardous waste disposal. But properly disposing of hazardous materials can demonstrate your organization’s credibility and financial wellbeing, and it can also save you from unnecessary risk.

May 9, 2019

Sanitation Starting Points: More Than Sweeping the Floors and Wiping Down the Table

By Ellice Ogle

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Sanitation is not just sweeping the floors and wiping down the table – sanitation has a wide-ranging function in a cannabis food manufacturing facility. For example, sanitation covers the employees (and unwanted pests), food-contact equipment (and non-food-contact equipment), trash disposal (including sewage), and more. Ultimately, sanitation systems maintain a clean environment to prevent foodborne illness from affecting human health. Fortunately, there are resources and tools to ease into establishing a robust sanitation program.

Overall, the main goal of sanitation is to produce safe food, to keep consumers healthy and safe from foodborne illness. With the cannabis industry growing and gaining legalization, cannabis reaches a larger, wider audience. This population includes consumers most vulnerable to foodborne illness such as people with immunocompromised systems, the elderly, the pregnant, or the young. These consumers, and all consumers, need and deserve safe cannabis products every experience.

To produce safe food, food manufacturing facilities in the United States must at least follow the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s Code of Federal Regulations Title 21 Chapter I Subchapter B Part 117, current good manufacturing practice, hazard analysis, and risk-based preventive controls for human food. Although cannabis is currently not federally regulated, these regulations are still relevant for a cannabis food manufacturing facility since the same basic principles still apply. Also, these regulations are a good resource to simplify a comprehensive sanitation program into more manageable components, between sanitary operations and sanitary facilities. With more manageable components, the transition is smoother to then identify the appropriate tools that will achieve a thorough sanitation program.

Sanitary operations

1) General maintenance of the facilities: The buildings and fixtures of the food manufacturing facility cover a lot of ground – hiring a maintenance team will divide the responsibility, ensuring the entire facility can be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition. Furthermore, a team can build out a tool like a preventative maintenance program to restrict issues from ever becoming issues.

Figure 1: Dirty Cloth Towel in Dirty “Sanitizer” Solution — Dirty Cloth Towel in Dirty “Sanitizer” Solution (an example of what NOT to do)

2) Control of the chemicals used for cleaning and sanitizing: Not all chemicals are equal – select the appropriate cleaning and sanitizing chemicals from reputable suppliers. Obtain the right knowledge and training on proper use, storage, and proper protective equipment (PPE). This ensures the safe and effective application of the chemicals in minimizing the risk of foodborne illness.

3) Pest control: Understand the environment within the facility and outside the facility. This will aid in identifying the most common or likely pests, in order to focus the pest control efforts. Keep in mind that internal pest management programs can be just as successful as hiring external pest control services.

4) Procedures for sanitation of both food-contact and non-food-contact surfaces: Developing sanitation standard operating procedures (SSOPs) provides guidance to employees on appropriate cleaning and sanitizing practices, to balance effective and efficient operations. A master sanitation schedule can control the frequency of indicated sanitation procedures.

5) Storage and handling of cleaned portable equipment and utensils: Cross contamination in storage can be minimized with tools such as controlled traffic flow, signage, training, color coding, and more.

Sanitary facilities

6) Water supply, plumbing, and sewage disposal: Routine inspections of plumbing, floor drainage, and sewage systems prevent unintended water flow and damage.

7) Toilet facilities: Clearly defining standards for the toilet facilities and setting accountability to everyone who uses them will ensure that the toilet facilities are not a source of contamination for the food products.

8) Hand-washing facilities: Good manufacturing practices (GMPs) include proper hand washing and proper hand washing starts with suitable hand-washing facilities. For example, frequent checks on running water, hand soap, and single use towels ensure that all hands are clean and ready to produce safe food.

9) Trash disposal: While trash can be a source of cross contamination, trash can also attract and harbor pests. Scheduling regular trash disposal and controlling traffic flow of waste are two ways to minimize the risk of cross contamination from trash.

Bonus

Even after meeting these requirements, sanitation programs can be more sophisticated. An example is to institute an environmental monitoring program to verify and validate that the sanitation program is effective. Another example is in identifying and measuring key performance indicators (KPIs) within the sanitation program that can improve not just the sanitation processes, but the operations as a whole. Principally, sanitation is cleanliness on the most basic level, but waste management can encompass sanitation and grow into a larger discussion on sustainability. All in all, sanitation programs must reshape and evolve alongside the company growth.

Sanitation is interwoven throughout the food manufacturing process; sanitation is not a single task to be carried out by a sole individual. As such, it is beneficial to incorporate sanitation practices into cannabis food manufacturing processes from the beginning. Protect your brand from product rework or recalls and, most importantly, protect your consumers from foodborne illness, by practicing proper sanitation.