Ways to Recycle Toner Cartridges
Many people do not realise just how much damage they are causing the environment by throwing away recyclable printing products. In fact, only about 15% of the population recycles ink and toners. Here are some ways to recycle toner cartridges.
Most manufacturers will accept used cartridges, or you can give them to stationary shops. Some office supply stores will provide prepaid envelopes for your old toners in exchange for new ones. But if you cannot find a local shop, there are some national ones you may try such as Action Aid Recycling or Green Agenda.
A recycled toner cartridge can be refilled up to five times at the nearest cartridge-recycling centre. You should also consider giving your empty toners to local companies. You never know, they may give you money as a gesture of good will.
Printer cartridges are made of plastic, rubber and metal. It would take over 1000 years for the plastic in these products to completely decompose. This is extremely harmful for humans and other living species. Recycling is the best option and it saves money and time, as well as the environment. Moreover, you can converse energy as every brand new cartridge needs 3 quarts of fuel in its production, so a toner that is recycled five times saves 15 quarts of fuel.
It is also possible to reuse an empty cartridge by refilling it at home. This is a simple process as all you need to do is clean the nozzle and the print head, use a graduated syringe and take out the colour ink from the cartridge. Check for any leakages and make sure your printer is functioning correctly without any air bubbles.
Refilling a cartridge should be done with care as you don’t want any ink to dribble on the printed paper. It is easier to fill colour cartridges rather than black ones as the black fill plug is covered with a steel ball, so when you remove it, you will have to replace the entire plug. Colour toners are made of plastic covers which can be removed without any hassle.
A recycled toner cartridge costs up to 30% less compared to a new one. The companies that accept old toners use the drum and wiper blades and replace the worn-out parts. They then clean and fill the toner before re-assembling it back together. This is a standard way of recycling raw materials such as cartridges.
Recycling is not only a need but it is everyone’s responsibility to look after the environment. Nowadays, most companies take steps in raising awareness about recycling raw materials as it is one of the most cost efficient ways of conserving the eco-system.
When small businesses recycle empty inkjet toner cartridges, they not only save money and valuable time, but they also help the environment. There are numerous organisations that deal with the recycling process of these materials. A little research online will help you find these agencies as well as all the relevant information about the educational and business institutions that recycle these products.
Christopher Joseph Smith is writing on behalf of Cartridge World, specialists in Toner Cartridges.
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