How do I recycle my ink cartridges? October 25, 2010 10:55 by Matt Bird
How to recycle ink cartridges is a big worry for our customers, with the vast majority of queries we receive containing some reference to what to do with the cartridges once they run empty.
A recent report into manufacturers recycling performance has been remarkably damning to the industry, providing startling support to those who feel the printing industry makes no effort to limit its impact on the environment. We must be honest here, we do a lot of research into manufacturer schemes and the attempts they make at recycling, but even we were taken aback by the results of this study.
The Electronics Company Recycling Report Card
Summary:
Not one printer manufacturer passed the "test". HP was the highest scorer, registering a C- on the grade scale, with EVERY other manufacturer registering an F. We knew there was work to be done, but the results of this report were staggering. Even Lexmark's return program didn't bring it above an F, supporting our theory that their Return Program is more about stopping supply of remanufactured toners in the market than actually benefitting the environment.
Brother and Kodak were found to have no recycling program at all, and the efforts of other manufacturers such as Canon and Epson were incredibly limited. The report makes a fantastic reference to the falling price of printers in the industry, bringing them almost to the point of disposable hardware, meaning even greater attention must be paid to the recycling schemes.
See the full report here: Electronics Company Recycling Report
Why does this matter?
Recycling is more important than ever, and the results of this study highlight how it is in fact in our own hands, customers and retailers need to do the most to limit what goes to the landfill.
What Stinkyink is doing for the environment...
Bar our internal efforts, such as car-share schemes to get to work, we offer our own pre-paid recycling service. Giving you the means to produce your own recycling labels for used cartridges at no cost to yourself, it has seen a huge increase in the amount of returned cartridges. All of these cartridges are reconditioned/remanufactured where possible, extending their useful life and limiting the waste that our market produces.
Don't just recycle your cartridges - but use them!
Making use of our our recycling scheme is a great way to start, but there is more! If you have a printer which takes them, and haven't given them a chance, add a remanufactured cartridge to your basket next time you shop with us. Each one of these cartridges sold is a success for the recycling world, and would not have been possible without:
- someone previously buying an original and sending it off to be recycled
- a company putting in the time and effort to clean, replace crucial parts and refill the cartridge
- significant quality testing to ensure reliability
Every step is taken to guarantee their quality, and we have our own Performance guarantee to try and encourage you to give them a chance. The study has shown how little the manufacturers are doing to help, so take this chance to help us make a difference.
1 Response to “How do I recycle my ink cartridges?”
November 04, 2010 05:35
Recycling has been a common practice for most of human history, with recorded advocates as far back as Plato in 400 BC. During periods when resources were scarce, archaeological studies of ancient waste dumps show less household waste (such as ash, broken tools and pottery)—implying more waste was being recycled in the absence of new material.