Why Recycling Your Toner Cartridges Revitalizes Your Wallet and Environment

These days we don’t even pay attention to the fact that we recycle literally on a daily basis.

Every garbage service has the option for a can by your home (or office) to throw in your pop cans, plastic and paper, and then you forget about it. Recycling’s easy now.

Back then it was a bit of a headache, because we weren’t used to it. Now we toss it and forget it. Who knew there was a way to get your toner cartridges recycling, and not just recycling like your everyday plastic, but recycled and benefiting you with cash?

That’s the ticket. Imagine throwing away all your pop bottles and getting money in return. Sure, you get exactly that by turning in pop bottles at the grocery store…. But this is different.

And then you get that little slip with the amount of cans or bottles you’ve recycled. 2 bucks maybe. You’re overjoyed, and you should be.

 

The difference between that and toner cartridges recycling is the fact that you get so much more, in real cash, via the eCycle Group, a service managing everything from the collection of the ink and toner cartridges to the actual payment process.

 

You need to keep in mind that the ink and toner business is total money. Ink’s a hot commodity, so it would stand to reason that the cartridges go for a lot as well.

 

Businesses and manufacturers will pay big money to get those replacements. Saves on cost to manufacture the cartridges. Saves on cost for filling up those cartridges with new ink.

 

Recycling Empty Toner Cartridges

 

How do you recycle your empty ink cartridges? It’s not as simply as throwing them into the recycle bin, honestly. Many municipalities have the service available, and you just have to do the research for it.

 

However, services like the eCycle Group and Empties4Cash.com make it very simply. If you can read instruction manuals, you’re pretty much set.

 

Most laser or inkjet cartridges will actually have specific instructions written on the side. Read them. You’ll often find instructions on packaging materials as well as information on where to get free postage – because, after all, you don’t want to have to pay just to recycle them.

 

With that put aside, the real information is in the benefit beyond that of the environment. This industry’s chock full of money, and the fact is this: cartridges can be recycled and refilled up to six times before they’re rendered unusable.

 

That’s good news both for the environment, your pocket book, and the bottom line of many manufacturers.

 

So you can do yourself a favor and find via the Internet numerous services like the couple we’ve mentioned already designed to offer prepaid free shipping or even pickup of your used cartridges, and here’s the real bonus – you may find a service that’ll pay up to $4 per cartridge.

 

That’s giving you some ROI for your efforts in not only contributing to the environment, but even keeping ink, toner and printing costs down.

 

Just be sure to check the list of cartridges any service will accept and make sure yours are in line with that list. Don’t make that a priority, and it might actually cost you (it’s true – some services will actually penalize you for offering cartridges that are unacceptable for them).

 

The ability to get toner cartridges recycling on a daily basis offers benefits for everything from churches, to businesses, to fundraisers – to even schools.

 

It can even be used as a way to donate proceeds to any nonprofit organization of your choice, hence you get the fantastic tax deduction to go with it.

 

Toner Recycling Benefits

 

We’re beating a dead horse, obviously, but we can’t stress it enough: the environment. After all, ink cartridges are plastic and petroleum-based. They take literally a century to decompose.

 

That means our Earth, if we threw out all of our printer cartridges into landfills, would be filled to the brim of them for a full 1K years before finally decomposing, and you better believe:

 

We’ll pile on the empty toner and ink cartridges faster than they can decompose! As of now, only about 20% to 40% of ink cartridges get recycled, leaving a paltry 60% to 80% ending up in landfills.

 

We can reduce that count to zero, diverting literally millions of cubic feet of waste and saving taxpayers millions of dollars in landfill management expenses.

 

When it comes to toner cartridges recycling, that’s well worth the time and effort to simply contact any one of those services and get your empty cartridges taken care of without any hassle.

 

Sure, it’s a little more legwork than throwing a cartridge in the trash. But remember: you’re getting some money, some benefit, in the long run for doing it. The economy will see a surge, particular in the ink and toner business.

 

And certainly your printer will be much happier for it. For more insight on the ink and toner business, feel free to explore our content, and if you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to ask.

 

The ink and toner business is a massive frontier, and it’ll only get bigger and more reliable. Why?

 

Think about it: after all this time, out of all the advancements we’ve made in business, the one thing that has relatively stayed the same – is printing!

 

Sustainability in Business: How to Recycle Unwanted IT Equipment

Business sustainability is an ideal that many organizations seek as part of their long term goals. In the same realm, electronic waste has become nothing short of a crisis in the corporate world.

But what does e-waste have to do with sustainability in business?

The United Nations reports that 20-50 million metric tons of e-waste is discarded every year. Any electronic equipment that has been thrown away like computers, cell phones, and printers fall into that category.

Businesses are responsible for a sizeable percentage of the world’s electronic waste and it’s not a difficult task to imagine why. For this reason, recycling of computers, printers, cell phones, and other IT equipment should be an integral part of a business’ sustainability agenda.

If your organization seeks to make a real shift in that direction, e-waste recycling is the first and most consequential move.

 

Why Recycling Of Electronic Equipment Matters

 

 

Most people, including business owners, harbor several misconceptions about what sustainability really is.

Is it all about the environment? Not at all.

It is an expensive agenda to push? Certainly not.

Is it more hassle than it’s worth? It’s a small effort for a large reward.

There is a distinct  economic advantage for businesses who espouse a culture of sustainability throughout their daily operations.  

The initiative is geared towards meeting the triple bottom line of a business, namely:

● Financial

● Ecological/Environmental

● Social

 

So why is the recycling of electronic equipment the best way to contribute to that triple bottom line?

 

The answers lie with the many benefits of e-waste recycling:

 

1. Save Money For Your Business: There are several organizations who have made e-waste their business. They collect all end-of-cycle IT equipment and some provide a cash back. This extra money can be used to finance replacement tech for your business or any other financial goals.

The fiscal benefits also extend to the Tech Industry. According to James Allen, Director of EPEAT, if the recycling of gold, silver, and platinum increases to 100%, the Electronic Sector will have  a 12 billion dollar financial and natural capital advantage.

 

2. Create Employment: Out of the 90 % of recyclable e waste, only 12.5 % is recycled. If that gap were to be bridged, companies who recycle and refurbish old electronics would require an increase in manpower. This would result in a rise in job creation on a mass scale.

 

3. Conserve Natural Resources: The valuable materials collected from recycled electronics can go towards creating other products.

For example, palladium is a metal that can be used to create surgical instruments, watches, and other electronics. Copper, silver, and gold are among the other precious metals that can be recovered.

4. Protect The Health of The Environment: Toxic elements like mercury, chromium, and lead can find their way into the environment when electronics are not recycled the right way. This has grave repercussions for public health.

 

5. Support The Less Fortunate: Naturally, businesses want superior technology to increase their output and maximize their efficiency. The outdated technologies can be refurbished and donated to schools, nonprofits, and others who need it.

 

What Equipment Can Be Recycled?

 

 

We’ve already pinpointed the recycling of electronics as one of the primary means of achieving sustainability in business. But, there are many layers and nuances to e-waste recycling.

Here’s a basic hierarchy:  

Repair and remanufacture of entire units –  Many electronics are disposed when they only have a simple malfunction. These problems can usually be fixed to extend the life cycle of the entire unit.

 

Reuse of what’s functional – In some cases, the electronic in it’s entirety may not be viable but some components can still be used. Your business can also donate unwanted computers to an organization like World Computer Exchange that will get them in the hands of those who need it most.

Recycling of what cannot be repaired – If certain parts or whole electronic units are beyond repair, they can be recycled to salvage the valuable materials.

 

Responsible disposal of what can’t be recycled or reused – About 10 % of e-waste cannot be recycled. Every effort should be made to get these disposed in the proper disposal sites so hazardous elements like lead don’t make its way into our water and airways.

 

A List Of Recyclable IT Equipment and Their Components:

This list is by no means exhaustive but these are the common ones relevant to businesses. They include:

● Desktop and Laptop Computers

● Monitors, Televisions, and Other Display Devices

● Keyboards, mouses, and other computer accessories

● Printers, photocopying machines, and Ink/Toner Cartridges

● Cellphones & Pagers

● Fax Machines and Telephones

● Audio Devices

 

Is There A Sizeable Market For Recycling Electronics?

 

 

The prolific e-waste problem has led to the emergence of many waste management and electronic recycling organizations.

Let’s get into the solutions that are out there. 

1. Take Back Programs – A plethora of businesses and manufacturers have their own recycling initiatives where you can turn in unwanted electronics.

Many offer rewards like gift cards, credit, and cash. Some of the notable programs include:

 

● Staples Technology Trade In

● Sony’s Take Back Program

● LG Electronics Recycling Program

● Dell’s Reconnect Initiative

● Best Buy’s E waste Trade In

● Samsung’s Recycling Direct 

 

2. Many States Have Their Own E- Recycling Solutions – Your business can conduct a local search to find the programs that have been put in place for your particular state or city. Kansas city, for example, has an e-waste grant program.  A simple google search would be “E Waste Recycling [Name of Your State/City]”.  

 

3. Donations To Nonprofit Organizations – Organizations like EWaste4Good help businesses to donate their electronics with ease. It’s a simple process where they come to your place of business to collect the unwanted equipment at no charge.

 

3. Professional E Waste Disposal Facilities –  There are companies with specific licensure for the proper disposal of e-waste. For instance, The Coalition for American Electronics Recycling (CAER) has more than 130 companies as signed members. 

 You can also find companies that have been vetted through e-stewards.org.

Wrapping It Up

 

 

E-waste is a critical problem both in the corporate world and on the global scene. However, if every business looked at their sustainability initiative as a way to contribute to their business’ bottom line, the problem would be half solved.

Take a look at the specific electronic use and subsequent wastage in your organization and select the recycling methods that best suit your needs. The solutions are there and the benefits to your business are clear.