The recycling trend has changed the world for the better. As people, we are learning that less waste can actually equal more production. Just about everything we use can be recycled. There is a growing need to not only want, but to partake in as much recycling is possible. It only makes sense to try to reuse things instead of throwing them away. Landfills and garbage dumps are filling up at an alarming pace and recycling can help reduce this madness.
Ink cartridges and toner cartridges are just one of the many items that people can recycle. Ink cartridges are made from plastic and metal. Both of these materials can easily be recycled, and it is estimated that at least 97% of what goes into manufacturing an ink cartridge can be reused and recycled.
Here are some interesting landfill facts about ink cartridges.
We have already stated that ink cartridges are mostly made from plastic and metal. Plastic and metal can take over 1000 years to decompose while they sit in a landfill. These two materials are better suited for recycling than filling up a landfill. Recycling inkjet cartridges can save as much as 40,000 tons of metal and plastic from going to a landfill each year, but people are still throwing away their ink cartridges. It is estimated that if every ink cartridge that was thrown away during the period of one year was laid side by side, there would be enough ink cartridges to circle the entire planet.
Much more goes into manufacturing ink cartridges than most people understand. In one year, approximately 5,000,000,000 barrels of oil are used to manufacture ink cartridges. If everyone recycled their ink cartridges, there would be no need to use all of this oil to manufacture more ink cartridges.
What other benefits are there to recycling ink cartridges?
Besides the obvious facts listed above, there are several other excellent reasons to recycle ink cartridges.
Save money – Everyone likes to save money. Purchasing ink cartridges can get expensive, especially if you are using one of the less efficient inkjet printers. There are plenty of places that offer cheap ink cartridges, but the costs can quickly add up. Recycled ink and toner cartridges typically cost between 30 and 60% less than their brand new counterparts. This can create a significant amount of savings in a period of a year.
The green benefits – There are more to green benefits than just money. The manufacturing process of ink cartridges uses a lot of resources and energy. Recycling the ink cartridges can free up these resources and energy. It is estimated that at least 3 quarts of oil are used to create one ink cartridge, but other resources are used as well. Water and wood are both also used during the manufacturing process. Conservation is the key to creating a greener way of life, and recycling ink cartridges helps conserve a lot of natural resources.
A reduction in pollution – Manufacturing all of these ink cartridges also produces unwanted pollution. There are harmful greenhouse gases and water based pollutions associated with manufacturing ink cartridges. When ink cartridges get thrown away they’re often incinerated which produces even more harmful greenhouse gases. Recycling ink cartridges can prevent this from happening.
Help a charity – There are many charitable organizations out there that collect used ink and toner cartridges. Once the charity collects enough used ink and toner cartridges, they will sell them to a recycling center. They will then use all the money made from the sale of the old ink cartridges to help benefit the charity.
You can’t get water from a stone, and at the rate the human race is consuming natural resources, there may not be many left for the future. Our children will inherit the planet and all of the resources that are left once we are gone. Conserving as much of these resources as possible is not only the right thing to do, but the human thing to do. Something as simple as recycling an ink cartridge can make a huge difference, but over 70% of all ink cartridges are still being thrown away. Together we can all reduce this number and help conserve our natural resources for the future.
