31 Days to a Greener and Healthier Life (Day 28)
Day 28 – Recycle printer cartridges.
What: Every year, millions of tons of printer ink and toner cartridges end up in landfills. We all know these can be refilled or recycled accordingly, but did you know that over 13 cartridges are discarded in the U.S. every second, according to CartridgeFundraising! That’s hundreds of millions of cartridges that end up in landfills every year, made with plastics that can take at least 1,000 years to decompose! If you’ve been chucking your inkjet and toner cartridges in the garbage up to this point, it’s time to stop. There are sufficient ways get the most life out of plastic cartridges and possible and to avoid dumping used cartridges in landfills.
Why: Once in landfills, printer cartridges release toxins and hazardous waste materials into the environment and these take decades to decompose! Reusing and recycling cartridges means a significant reduction in both energy and resources. Around 2 liters of oil are used in the manufacturing process of one single laser printer cartridge. Recycling, on the other hand, conserves steel and aluminum, two other resources included in the manufacture of printer cartridges. Reusing and recycling conserves oil, which is a non-renewable material. By recycling printer cartridges, we conserve natural resources and energy and keep them from harming the environment!
How:
- Have your printer cartridges refilled. Cartridge refills are available from computer hardware store and online. This is much more economical than replacing them. Make sure that you have the correct product to match your empty cartridge. If you don’t feel confident refilling your cartridge yourself you can have the service provided by a professional company.
- Look at the instructions in the box of your new laser or ink jet cartridge to find out how to recycle your old one. Many companies will provide instructions, packaging materials and free postage if you wish to recycle your old cartridge, which is then refilled and used again.
- Ask about recycling. Many of the companies who have collection service for refilling also offer a collection service for recycling. They will guarantee that the used cartridge will not end up in a landfill. Many companies, such as Hewlett-Packard, take them back for free. They provide mailers or labels for you to ship them back to be recycled or refurbished!
- Get in touch with Eco-office about recycling and purchasing used cartridges. They will provide lists of companies in your area that will purchase your used cartridge, as well as companies that will provide remanufactured ones!
- Check out Grenk. They make earth-friendly ink cartridges and keep the manufacturing and shipping process as green as possible!
TIP: Earn credits and rewards by recycling! Office Max, Office Depot and Staples have programs in which you can earn credits and rewards for bringing empty ink cartridges back to the store. Best Buy also has recycling kiosks for your old ink cartridges.
Thursday, January 28th, 2010 at 8:00 amand is filed under 31 Days To A Greener And Healthier Life, Earth Warrior Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.