Budtender Diaries Resinate: The underdog of recycling in Arizona

In 2018, the infrastructure of the recycling industry began to crumble. According to data from recycleacrossamerica.org, trash continued to contaminate recycled waste, the United States began to export millions of paper, metals and plastic to China, most of which was contaminated, and thus unable to be properly recycled.

In response to this, China tightened its policies on recycled batches that were imported. Millions of tons of imported recycled waste were stuck in limbo, ushering a collapse of the recycling industry in the United States.

Resinate was founded in 2018 by brothers Garret and Brandon Schwartz as a response to this dire shift within the industry. Garret, who was 25 when Resinate came together, was struck by the distressing statistic that only 9% of plastic is recycled. Schwartz wanted to create a different pathway for the future of recycling in Arizona.  

“We saw a need for solutions to recycle materials that weren’t getting recycled, and we wanted to understand where areas for innovation and change might be. We eventually came to an understanding through talking to recyclers that all these small objects, any objects under two-and-a-half inches in diameter, literally fall through the cracks of recycling systems. They’re filtered out through mechanisms that are meant to filter out contamination,” Garret said. 

While the legalization of recreational cannabis in Arizona was a groundbreaking moment, what followed was an unfortunate influx of plastic waste. Plastic has become omnipresent within the cannabis industry; Arizona state regulations require packaging to be either opaque or translucent, along with being child-proof and resealable. These are important safety precautions, but not without consequence. Pre-roll tubes, bulky plastic mylar bags, glass jars, and plastic containers used for edibles have all joined the roster of recyclable troublemakers. 

But Resinate offers a change of pace within the gloomy reality of today’s recycling industry, specifically through the focus on the small items that are flagged as contamination in traditional recycling centers. Resinate’s recycling bins, referred to as “energy pods,” are metallic and bright blue, complete with a sensor that alerts the Resinate team when the pod is full. The recycled goods are then collected, hand sorted and recycled. 

But the work doesn’t stop there. 

“We wanted to create solutions to use materials that could be recycled to actually process and create valuable goods; and not to just do the bare minimum effort to just call it recycled and let someone else deal with the next part of the process,” Garret explained.  

This led to the creation of the Twisted Rolling Tray, a cosmic blended rainbow made entirely of recycled dispensary packaging. Resinate initially began using recycled products to make flowerpots, but switched gears when collaborations with local dispensaries began. 

“Once we started working with dispensaries and seeing the reaction from the community to having recycling options, we realized — what if we really spent the time to design a product for this community that they can use, enjoy and appreciate; that stands on its own, and is also made from the plastic they recycled,” Garret explained. 

Resinate also offers rewards to participating members, accessed through a QR code found at each “energy pod.” The rewards differ on the partnering location, but the Twisted Rolling Tray is always an available reward. The tray is a delightful signal of creating something valuable out of what would otherwise be added waste into our environment. 

Since 2019, Resinate has managed to recycle 16,461 pounds of packaging from dispensaries in Arizona, and is partnered with dispensaries across Arizona. Resinate has a small team, which allows for a tactical system that takes all moving parts into account. Through constant innovation, Resinate has been able to evolve constantly. 

Products acepted by Resinate:

• Glass jars (Resinate does ask for glass bottles to be empty and dry)

• Plastic jars, tubes and lids 

• Paper and cardboard 

• Pill bottles

• Metal tins and boxes

The mylar plastic bags commonly found in dispensaries were accepted, but Garret explained that Resinate can’t recycle them at this time, due to the process it requires.

“We’re working on making connections with the few big recyclers who will be able to process this material (not just public-facing ones who say they can recycle it). These companies are few and far between, so it will take more logistics and time to make it happen, but we’ve developed solutions for many other materials and I’m sure we’ll find a solution to this one. In general, I like to see dispensaries use paper bags or single-polymer bags, which are made from a single type of recyclable plastic. 

For many dispensaries, these kinds of packaging are more expensive, but the options are increasing as consumers and companies demand better,” Garret said. 

To find a dispensary that is partnered with Resinate, visit resinate.tech. They’re on Instagram @wecanresinate

This article appears in Jun 1-7, 2023.