Tuesday, 3 November 2009
Monday, 2 November 2009
Sunday, 1 November 2009
Printer Cartridge Recycling
What about all the empty printer cartridges we throw away? And what about all the new printer cartridges we buy? What is going on here? The truth is most empty cartridges go into landfills. And the resources needed to make new cartridges are finite. Our current system is not sustainable, it is wasteful, and it pollutes our world. But can we really switch to a sustainable healthy system?Yes we can. But we must all make changes. From people, to businesses, to government. Thankfully the changes are already underway. Government legislation is beggining to persuade manufacturers to make cartridges that can be reused or remanufactured. Though normally cartridge manufacturers only want you to buy their new cartridges, after all this is what they sell. They even fit special chips to the cartridges so you always have to use one of their own new cartridges. But things are changing. Hewlett Packard now uses new and recycled components in their cartridges, they also have their own collection program for empty cartridges. Lexmark have their own range of remanufactured cartridges for their printers. And IBM has a range of remanufactured cartridges specially made for Hewlett Packard laser printers. Nowadays all responsible manufacturers have their own recycling programs.
New technology enables remanufacturers to make high quality replacements to the original cartridges. The print quality of some of these remanufactured cartridges is difficult to distinguish from the original cartridge. But still the majority of empty cartridges end up in landfills, it is estimated at over a billion ink cartridges every year. Not only does this pollute the world we live in, it is a waste of resources. Cartridge recycling services are offered by many companies, and generally for free. One even plants a tree for every box of cartridges you recycle. While others will donate all or a percentage of their profits to charities. And others will pay you a small amount for particular cartridges they are interested in.
Printer cartridge recycling has many immediate benefits. Firstly it reduces harmful pollution. And secondly it allows new remanufactured cartridges to be produced. Compared to making a new cartridge remanufacturing uses up to 80% less energy and about 50% less oil. And any cartridges or parts that cannot be reused are broken down to their raw materials and recycled.
You can also refill your empty ink cartridges yourself. You can do this with a refill kit that allows you to inject new ink into the old cartridge. It can save you a lot of money, but it is not for everyone.
I recommend you use a free cartridge recycling service or check with the manufacturer what recycling program they offer. And why not go the whole way and use a remanufactured cartridge, the quality of some brands is excellent.
To plant a tree every time you recycle, or even when you buy a new cartridge, visit iTreecycle.
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