Get Down To Recycling Your Printer Cartridges

If you're like most people you're concerned about the environment and what's happening to this planet that we all share. Are you wondering what you can to do help? Why not take the first step by recycling any printer cartridges that you have laying around. The boom in inkjet printer sales and the equally impressive sales of inkjet consumables has led to a major waste management problem - what to do with all the leftover plastic from inkjet cartridges.

In as much as local and national governments understand this problem several inkjet printer manufacturers are taking this issue seriously also and doing something to help with the problem; to a greater or lesser extent. Some manufacturers are dealing with the problem more effectively that others however.

The method of recycling the cartridges varies from one company to the next. Some manufacturers incinerate the used cartridges to at least exchange the waste for heat energy; this isn't the best solution but is better than nothing at all. Other companies totally recycle the cartridge by refilling it and offering it on again for resale whereas other don't operate any recycling program at all. It all depends on the company you're dealing with.

Lexmark take the prize so far in terms of inkjet recycling. Any owner of a Lexmark printer can visit the companies website and order an ink cartridge recylcing pack directly from Lexmark themselves. This pack is post-paid for both parts of its journey to Lexmark. In Europe all Lexmark ink cartridges are sold with pre-paid return envelopes to make returning the used cartridges even easier - they've (Lexmark) been very pro-active in their approach to the problem of cartridge recycling.

So when your next ink cartridge runs dry spare a thought for the environment and don't just toss it into the trash. Check the inkjet manufacturers website for instructions on returning the cartridge to them. At very worst check locally for companies that specialize in computer waste. If none exists then maybe you could set one up yourself?

The waste management policies of companies like HP, Epson, Dell and Lexmark could reshape their business future. Consumers are now driven by their conscience as much as their pocket - we only have one planet to live on and share after all!