While the Dutch government continues to experiment with regulated cannabis cultivation, local officials in Zundert are facing another kind of growing pain: what to do with cannabis waste.
On June 5th, the center-left party GroenLinks/PvdA filed a motion for a more sustainable cannabis waste management at the CanAdelaar cultivation site, according to Dutch outlet Weekblad Westvoorne. Currently, the grower processes their waste in chlorinated water to make it unusable, which is a practice the party deemed environmentally harmful. With their motion, they wanted to urge the local council to work with the grower to explore greener options.
According to the motion, CanAdelaar has indicated several times that they would like to switch to a more environmentally friendly method, but they feel limited by the current waste protocol. GroenLinks/PvdA suggested the grower may not be fully aware that an amended protocol could leave room for composting, and asked the council to provide guidance and support.
But Mayor Arno Scheepers pushed back, advising the council to vote against the motion. "There is a national protocol that applies to all licensed cannabis cultivation sites. This is not a matter for the municipality," he said. "If a grower wants to approach things differently, they need to engage with the national government. We have no authority in this area, not even in terms of enforcement."
He also clarified that the CanAdelaar site operates under the national cannabis pilot program and that the municipality doesn't issue permits or conduct routine oversight. "Enforcement is the responsibility of the central government," Scheepers noted.
In the end, the council voted down the motion: six members supported it, while 25 voted against.