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How to Recycle Ink Cartridges

How to Recycle Ink Cartridges

An estimated eighteen million used printer cartridges are needlessly thrown away every year in Australia. Putting printer cartridges in landfill has the potential to eventually contaminate the local environment and this is ridiculous when there are so many easy recycling options.

There are many good quality refillable cartridges around. If you are buying a new printer, the retailer will advise you on the best ones according to your needs. If you already have a printer, just ask the retailer who sells you the cartridges.

Cartridge world offers a cartridge refilling service, depending on your cartridge make and model. Refilling ink cartridges lessen your environmental impact and the money you spend on ink cartridges.  

Cartridges 4 Planet Ark take your inkjet cartridges, toner cartridges and toner bottles ink cartridges when you buy new ones at participating Australia Post, JB Hi-Fi, Dick Smith, Harvey Norman, Officeworks or The Good Guys stores for safe and responsible disposal and recycling.
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Science Notes
It takes approximately 3.5 litres of oil to produce a new laser cartridge. 

Companies like Close the Loop recycle toner cartridges collected through Planet Arc and others by breaking the cartridges down into their components - toner, plastics, metals and ink.  Toner is currently discarded, but work is ongoing regarding its recycling; metals are separated and sent into the scrap metal recycling market, plastics are recovered and recycled, as is ink. 

Recycling recovers materials which can be re-made into more ink cartridges, reducing the time, materials, and processes required to make the cartridges. 

Related Tip
Close the Loop make a pen from their own recycled plastic and ink. They also manufacture eWood and rulers.