When the LaserJet computer printer was introduced by Hewlett-Packard in 1984 it was sold with an "all-in-one" toner cartridge. This toner cartridge seemed like a great idea until the empty cartridges started to cause environmental concerns.Today it is estimated that over 300 million plastic toner cartridges are thrown away yearly in the United States and elsewhere around the world. Each toner cartridge weighs approximately 3-1/2 to 4 pounds, which means that the total weight of cartridges discarded is equivalent to over 67,000 Ford Explorers! Fortunately today most cartridge manufacturers have established capturing programs for the empty cores but the story doesn't end there. Investigations into the destination of these captured cartridges found that many are exported into Asian countries where workers under primitive conditions clean and prepare the empties for recycling. See article here.
Interestingly up to 97% of the materials that make up a toner cartridge can be recycled or reused.That's why domestic recycling or remanufacturing of toner and ink cartridges is the best solution.By reusing toner cartridges, non-renewable resources are conserved and the environmental impacts associated with the manufacturing process are greatly reduced.The reason that many business offices resist remanufactured toner cartridges is because of quality concerns.However, the quality of professionally remanufactured toners has dramatically increased over the past decade and most reputable manufacturers and dealers will 100% guarantee the performance of their remanufactured toner products.
Should a green office use recycled toners? Yes, and you'll save money too!
Some Toner Cartridge Facts
- Toner cartridges take between 500-1000 years to decompose in a landfill.
- The plastic in each toner cartridge takes about 3.5 quarts of oil to produce.
- The number of toner cartridges thrown out increased by 12 percent in the last year.
- Anti-trust laws prevent office machine maintenance companies from excluding remanufactured toners in their maintenance contracts.
