The environmental effects of toner and ink cartridge production are completely off the charts. Although this business may seem unimportant in the general scheme of global environmental pollution, it is actually having multiple negative effects that can very easily be avoided. Unfortunately, in America along more than thirteen of these ink and toner cartridges are disposed of every single second. That number adds up to approximately three hundred seventy-five million printer cartridges being thrown away per year. If that weight were to be converted into something more easily recognizable, such as cars, it would amount to nearly seventy thousand large SUVs. That number is not worldwide, it is just in America alone. Worldwide, the number is over twice as high, and the effects are momentous.

The average cartridge is made up of plastic (forty percent), metal (another forty percent), and about one-fifth rubber, foam, paper, and actual toner. During production alone, not counting transportation, an average cartridge requires over a gallon of oil just to be manufactured. When transportation and running costs are considered, this figure skyrockets. Although nearly ninety-seven percent of these cartridges are made out of easily recyclable or reusable materials, less than a third are actually recycled. This is a significant problem, since recycling one cartridge can save over three pounds of waste products.

One easy way to combat this growing problem is simply by checking with a local printer supply store to see if they offer a recycling program. Most do, but if they don’t they should be able to locate a local business that does. Just save that Phaser 8560 ink cartridge and next time you go purchase a new one, drop it in the recycling box and feel better about saving the environment.  If you have a Xerox printer with Xerox Phaser ink, you wont have to worry about recycling because the ink sticks dissolve.

If being rewarded sounds like a better deal, the internet is usually the best place to start. A quick search online will provide dozens of websites offering printer cartridge recycling and remanufacturing programs. Just by clicking on a few of these websites, it will become clear that recycling is the best financial choice to make. Although certain cartridges may only be worth a few dollars (or maybe even less), some of the more reusable and recyclable toner cartridges can be worth over twenty dollars apiece. Just recycling a few of these will cover a significant portion of the eight printer refills that the average American college student goes through each year.

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