Recyclable Printer Cartridges

One of the most discussed issues faced by many governments today is the issue on protecting and preserving the environment. While technology has allowed us to create a number of things that have made life a lot easier, it had also brought about more environmental problems.

Attack of E-Waste Materials

E-waste is the term given to non-recyclable materials used by computer and printer manufacturing firms. One example of an e-waste material is the lowly printer cartridge. Most of the e-waste materials are non-biodegradable. While some are recycled in recycling stations, most of these materials find their way in landfill areas.

Benefits of Recycling Printer Cartridges

There are a number of benefits for recycling printer cartridges:

Diminishing on e-waste materials in landfill areas. The amount of printer cartridges being disposed everyday in landfills all over the United States is alarming. With almost 100 million printers being used in the United States alone, it does not take a math genius to imagine just how many millions of printer cartridges are dumped in our landfills daily. Recycling used printer cartridges would greatly reduce the amount of e-waste materials that are disposed in land fill areas.
Huge savings. Many printer cartridges manufactured by printer companies can actually be reused for a certain period of time. There are now ink refill kits specially designed for printer cartridge units at just half the price than purchasing a new cartridge entirely. This allows you to cut your total cost of printer ownership to be slashed considerably.

Are All Printer Cartridges Recyclable?

Sadly, the answer is no. Only the following printer cartridge brands can be reused and recycled:

Hewlett-Packard
IBM
Apple
Sharp
Compaq
Lexmark

This is because some printer manufacturing companies such as Epson and Canon have included a smart chip technology in their printer cartridge. This technology allows the user to keep track on how much ink is left in the ink tanks of the cartridges. Once these chips recognize that the ink cartridge or colored ink tank is empty, it could no longer be reverted. This means that even if you refill these cartridges, you are still not able to use them because the chip will still inform your printer that that cartridge is empty.

Other reasons why printer cartridges cannot be recycled for extended usage are:

Damaged casings brought about by improper handling
Dented or damaged print heads
Remanufactured printer cartridges

Where Can You Have Your Printer Cartridges Recycled?

You can recycle your own printer cartridges by purchasing ink refill kits that are available in office supplies stores and computer stores. These things take some time getting used to and can be pretty messy. Just make sure that you read the instructions and follow them carefully to make sure that you are able to refill the printer cartridges properly.

There are also a number of companies that would refill your ink cartridges for you. Take note that these companies do not accept remanufactured printer cartridges and those that have already been previously refilled.