One important fact about printer ink cartridges that many of us are not aware of is that these cartridges are not environment friendly. Business houses, educational institutions, and individuals are accumulating millions of tons of these materials every year that reach the landfills in all the countries and are causing irredeemable harm to the environment. Statistics reveal that only 5% of the empty cartridges are recycled in the United States. The balance 95% are discarded by the users to reach garbage landfills everywhere. However, recycling of cartridges is a messy job. Hands should be covered with gloves and the floor should be covered with newspaper or ink absorbing material during the process of recycling or refilling the cartridges.

Steps for recycling Brother Printer ink cartridges

1) You should put a towel or a similar ink absorbing material on the surface where the cartridge is refilled.
2) The syringe should be filled with the ink and the adaptor should be placed on the top after removing the needle.
3) The cartridge hole through which the ink flows out should be kept facing downwards initially.
4) The ink in the syringe should be injected into the exit hole till the ink comes out of the vent hole without any foam.
5) Now the cartridge should be reversed so that the vent hole faces up and the exit port is pointed downwards.
6) Then the needle should be attached to the syringe bottle and the ink injected through the vent hole till it flows out of the exit hole without foaming.
7) After keeping the cartridge for about 10 minutes in an unmoving state in the same position, the ink should be filled up again. This process should be repeated till you are sure that the cartridge had been completely filled.
8) If the cartridge has to be transported, the vent hole and the exit hole should be covered by small pieces of insulation tapes. However, they should be removed when the cartridge is installed in the printer.

This process of refilling the cartridges is suitable for the Brother models LC01C, LC01Y, LC01M, and LC01BK (all the MFC 7000 series). However, the process would be slightly different for the MFC-7150 and MFC-7160 models, where the ink is held by a sponge in the cartridge. In these models, you would find two metallic seals under the handle. These seals have to be removed or holes made in them. The ink should be injected slowly so that the sponge in the cartridge absorbs the ink completely and gets saturated fully with ink. Then, the metallic seals should be refitted or the holes in them should be covered with tape. These tapes should not be removed at the time of reinstallation.

For the Brother Printer models of LC41C, LC41Y, LC41M, and LC41BK, the ink is retained by a valve. In these models, you would find a label with the model number and letters C, M, Y, and BK, indicating the colors. There would be a window on the right side of the label. A hole should be made in the window and the ink should be injected through the hole in the window till the cartridge is completely filled up. Then the window hole should be sealed with an electric tape.

The processes for Brother Ink Printer models of HJ100 and HJ400, as well as the Brother Laser Printer models are again different and lot more complicated. Details of recycling of these models could be obtained from our experts on personal enquiry. Contact us at your convenience.

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