Ink Cartridge Recycling

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I started saving used up inkjet cartridges a while back for my church youth group as they were collecting them to make some money (by recycling them).I put a grocery bag on my doorknob and whenever I replaced the ink cartridges, I place the used cartridge into the bag.

When the announcement came that it was time to return the cartridges we had saved,I retrieved my bag of cartridges. I was surprised by how many cartridges I had collected. I opened the bag and discovered I had three HP 78 color ink cartridges and 8 HP black ink cartridges. This was from a little over two months time. Now I run a home-based business, so I probably use more printer ink than most homes, but it got me thinking about how ink and toner must be used just throughout the world. I hated to think that I had previously just thrown those used inkjet cartridges into the waste basket, since I was too busy (or lazy)to do anything else.Now my businesses always buy Brother laser printer cartridges online.

At the present time, ink based computer printers and toner based copiers are a way of life. Nearly every household in America has a printer, and nearly all of them use some sort of replaceable inkjet cartridge or toner. When people just throw those away, they go into our dumps and will stay there practically forever, and will soon leak harmful materials back into the earth.

So what’s the best way to recycle an inkjet cartridge responsibly? The best way is to find a local church organization that collects them. These groups earn a few cents for each cartridge, so you help them out, plus they return them to companies that refurbish them and then resell them as remanufactured ink jet cartridges. This saves a lot of money and keeps the plastic in circulation and out of a landfill.

If you’re the kind who normally purchases OEM ink jet cartridges like HP, Samsung , IBM or Lexmark, make certain you do some due diligence before participating in their alleged recycling programs. Some investigators have determined that many of the big name inkjet cartridge makers streamline the process of returning your cartridges back to them, but they do not recycle them. Instead they incinerate them so that they can’t be refilled. This assures that they will sell more   newer, expensive cartridges because they will make a greater profit that way. That’s not earth-friendly- so just be sure to investigate prior to sending anything in.

The amount you can save between original and refilled ink jet cartridges can be tremendous. My mom’s HP printer took the HP 78 tri-color cartridge. I could have purchased a new OEM cartridge for around forty bucks. Instead I purchased a HP 78 recycled cartridge for around $16. I saved some cash, a local charity earned some money and I did my little part to help help the earth. A local business uses a Xerox Workcentre printer that has ink that is very expensive. By buying a compatible brand, it is possible to buy the xeorox toner cartridges  for around a 70%discount per box. That’s a savings of nearly $30 per month in printer ink alone .

All those who own at least one printer of copier or those in charge of purchasing printer consumables at their office should investigate recycling their laser printer cartridges.If everyone contributes,it can save our environment. In addition you will be saving money.It takes more time,but it is the right thing to do.