Halifax non-profit turns plastic pot waste into useful prosthetics

Pot packaging transformed into prosthetics A Halifax-based charity has come up with a unique way to transform the plastic packaging waste from pot into prosthetics for kids in need.

It wasn't long after legalization that cannabis customers began raising concerns about the amount of plastic packaging that comes with a pot purchase.

Now, a Halifax-based charity has come up with a unique way to transform that waste into something new – 3D printed prosthetics for people who need them most.

The project started with donated lids from beverage containers, but when the minds behind Kindness 3D heard the complaints about all the packaging from the legal cannabis industry, they got an idea.

“We saw that there was no plan in the province of a way to take care of this, so we thought we'd put ourselves out there to be the first ones that want to start collecting, and want to start breaking down and reusing this plastic,” said Jake Boudreau of Kindness 3D.

Kindness 3D is a non-profit that uses 3D printing technology to create prosthetic limbs -- at a fraction of the regular cost -- in a fraction of the time.

It then donates them to people around the world who can't afford them -- like this girl in Costa Rica.

The idea now is to collect lids from cannabis containers and transform them into something that makes a difference.

Aaron Outhwaiteis a Dalhousie engineering instructor, who supervised a successful first shred with “Bruce” the shredder named after the shark from Finding Nemo.

That's essentially what we get from our first shred

“We delicately put a few in, and Bruce can just shred them all up,” said Outhwaite.

Since news of the project came out - local businesses are offering their locations as drop-off points for the packaging.

“Why not make it a good thing?” said Scott Doucette, ownerof Mary Jane's Smoke Shop.“I have kids of my own and you know it's just a great thing that he's doing.”

Coffee shop owner Brian Larter is also onboard.

“Basically you take your plastic here, and we store it out back, and they'll pick it up once a week,” said Larter, who owns Atomic Cafe.

The plastic is shredded three times and then it can be fed into the 3D printer to make a prosthetic.

Boudreau hopes to get the NSLC on board to collect as many lids as he can.

He doesn't know exactly how many he'll need to make a prosthetic --- maybe hundreds -- but it will be worth it no matter how many it takes, because nothing can compare to the difference they'll make in someone's life.

“If what we do can offer just a little bit of hope to somebody, we're happy with that,” said Boudreau. “But, to see it go so far and to see so much growth and so much potential from it, it's exciting.”

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Heidi Petracek.