Printer Cartridge Out of Ink | Recycle
55.6 percent of American consumers throw out their empty printer cartridges instead of recycling them, a Harris Interactive poll released today shows. Those cartridges add more than 40 million pounds of unnecessary waste to our nation's landfills. The cartridges take more than 1,000 years to decompose.
"Most consumers are unaware their used printer cartridges can easily be refilled and reused," said Phillip L. Theodore, executive vice president for Nu-kote. "It's an education process. Many people understand the need to recycle paper, aluminum and plastic. They shop for products made from recycled content. We want them to know they can also turn in their empty printer cartridges and shop for a replacement that has been 'remanufactured,' completing the life cycle of the product."
The study, conducted by Harris Interactive with a random sample of 2,079 adults, revealed 55.6 percent of Americans toss their inkjet printer cartridges in the garbage rather than returning or recycling them so they can be refilled and reused.
Almost all printer cartridges can be easily returned for reuse, with options ranging from city collection facilities to drop-off bins at local retailers. Empty cartridges are then shipped to companies that remanufacture the cartridges -- refreshing them with new ink -- and sell them. Most retailers that carry printer cartridges offer remanufactured versions, which are compatible with major-brand printers, and according to research, they perform as well as new brand-name products.
Recent research by the Rochester Institute of Technology, released in November 2004, found remanufactured printer cartridges provide the same print quality and page output as new cartridges.
"This is good information to have during the holiday shopping season," said Theodore. "If you have a new printer or a new digital camera, you'll soon need a replacement inkjet cartridge. Consumers can feel good about having more choices when it comes to finding a less expensive, environmentally friendly replacement that will perform just as well as the one supplied with the printer."
