Wellness is defined as the quality or state of being in good health, and it is often used as a concept to describe the overall condition of individuals, groups or systems. One topic that is often under-addressed when it comes to systemic wellness, however, is the environment. The underlying health of an ecosystem directly impacts the individuals who live within it, so to truly address whole-person wellbeing, ecological impact must be acknowledged and faced head-on.
Milwaukie-based packaging company P3 Distributing is working harder than most companies to confront environmental externalities in the Oregon Cannabis industry. With a commitment to the principles of reducing, reusing and recycling, P3 has increased sustainability efforts across the state through direct actions, such as placing collection boxes for plastic waste at dispensaries and providing recyclable containers for retail outlets to use.
In a significant leap forward for the conservational soundness of the entire state, P3 has increased the extent of items its collection boxes can accept. As of November 2025, dispensaries partnered with P3 now collect empty vape carts, Mylar bags and glass concentrate jars alongside the #5 plastics previously accepted.
Considering that those same #5 plastics have contributed to more than 100,000 pounds of Cannabis-related waste being kept out of state landfills in the time the company has operated, the increased threshold for acceptable materials is certain to reduce industry pollution even further.
“Our community has shown that they care about where their packaging ends up,” Patrick Caldwell, founder of P3 Distributing, explained. “Adding vape carts, Mylar and glass jars was the next natural step. If it comes from the Cannabis industry, we want to find a way to keep it out of the landfill.”
When Leaf Magazines last sat down with P3 in June 2024, we highlighted the company’s higher-than-average recycling rates, the scope of materials pulled out of the supply chain through their efforts and how the simple addition of recycled containers to the recreational market helps close the loop on Cannabis consumption and waste. This newest update allows P3 to continue moving toward its goals for increased sustainability and overall environmental wellness.
In terms of conservational responsibility, it also gives everyday Cannabis users an avenue to participate more ethically. This is especially poignant in the case of items such as vaporizer cartridges, which often contain metals, plastics and glass that would otherwise end up in a landfill.
All in all, consumers are a driving force in Cannabis retail, and taking steps to reduce the amount of waste contributed on an individual level interrupts the cycle of pollution and makes for a cleaner and more ecologically responsible industry. For a field that relies heavily on environmental wellness — from the soil Cannabis grows into the water it needs to thrive — whole-system health is the lifeblood and essence of plant medicine.
So, the next time you purchase a vaporizer, some flower in a Mylar bag or a jar of your favorite concentrate, make sure you hold onto the packaging to drop into a P3 collection box. As Captain Planet would say, “The power is yours,” and with all of our efforts combined, Oregon can come together to set the blueprint for more eco-friendly models of Cannabis consumption.
