Benefits Of Recycling Ink Cartridges

In today's modern world, the inkjet printer has quickly become a standard piece of equipment in homes and offices worldwide

. The ink cartridges used in this type of machine need replacing regularly and if they are thrown away in the general waste this can create a huge environmental impact. In the USA alone, 8 inkjet cartridges are thrown away every second. An individual cartridge may be small, but it is estimated that 300 million cartridges enter landfill every year.

The plastic components of a single ink cartridge can take 1000 years to decompose, but this is not the only adverse environmental effect caused by dumping empty cartridges into landfill. The toxic chemicals inside the cartridges will eventually leak out into the soil, polluting the earth and possibly contaminating water sources.

Another important consideration is the amount of raw materials that it takes to manufacture an ink cartridge. It takes between 2 and 3.5 oz of oil to make the outer casing for a brand new cartridge, which may not sound a lot on its own, but when the scale of production is taken into consideration, this equates to over 4 million gallons of oil used in the production of new ink cartridge casings every year.

In fact, it is estimated that for each new cartridge made, 3 pounds of natural resources are utilised during the manufacturing process.

Taking these facts into consideration, it seems a much better idea to recycle and reuse ink cartridges rather than throwing them away. Recycling an ink cartridge involves refilling the casing with fresh ink, so the plastic casing is reused and does not end up in landfill. The recycling process uses 80% less energy than making new cartridges and reduces waste.

Specialist companies collect empty cartridges, fill them with ink and sell them on at around 30% less than the price of a brand new cartridge. This enables consumers to save money and encourages people to buy recycled cartridges rather than new ones. Cartridges that cannot be refilled anymore are recycled into items as diverse at fence posts, coat hangers and shoe soles. An exciting development in this field is the production of a plastic lumber called eWood, which can be used in a wide variety of applications with the wider benefit of reducing the need for trees to be cut down for their wood.

A further benefit of the recycling program is that companies will often pay for used inkjet cartridges. Individuals or businesses that choose to recycle in this way can benefit financially from this arrangement. Charities also benefit from the recycling program, as many charities now provide free envelopes which people can fill with used cartridges for recycling. The charity is paid for the empty cartridges by a third party recycling company, enabling the charity to raise a large amount of money for their cause and at the same time benefit the environment.

It is clear to see the advantages in recycling inkjet cartridges. Doing so will minimise the environmental impact caused by the millions of cartridges dumped every year. By refilling and reusing existing containers, there is less demand on natural resources and virgin materials.

by: Mit

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