When you replace your printer ink cartridges or your laser printer toner cartridges, do you ever think that you could be saving money and being kind to the environment? If you answered “NO”, don’t feel bad because most consumers do not think those thoughts either. Well…it’s true. Landfill sites and incinerators are filled with over 375 million discarded toner and ink cartridges. That’s an average of 11 cartridges thrown away every second! By recycling printer cartridges and purchasing re-manufactured cartridges, you are preventing the accumulation of more cartridges in landfills and saving money.

Printer Cartridges…Not so kind to the environment

Laser printer toner cartridges and printer cartridges are composed of plastics that take about 450 to 1000 years to fully decompose if left in landfills. When they decompose, they release toxic fumes polluting the air we breathe and the atmosphere. In addition, the ink cartridges may still have some ink left in them which can leak into the ground polluting the soil and water system…yikes!

Recycling benefits the Earth and your wallet. By recycling ink and toner cartridges and purchasing remanufactured cartridges, toxic waste can be reduced by 50 to 70%. Recycling cartridges conserves energy and natural resources. New resources to create the plastic for the cartridges do not need to be utilized if recycling and purchasing of re-manufactured cartridges occur. About 97% of the cartridge material can be re-used and can be re-filled about 5-7 times. Purchasing re-manufactured cartridges costs significantly less than buying brand new ones. Because the costs associated with recycling cartridges are much less than the costs of creating new cartridges, the savings and lower prices are passed down to consumers.

Visit sites that recycle ink and toner cartridges and sell remanufactured cartridges.  PrinterStop.com (http://www.printerstop.com) is known for its friendly customer service and commitment to the Green Movement. PrinterStop.com sells re-manufactured toner cartridges way below competitors prices. There are many companies whose focus is on recycling cartridges. Each of them have their own standards and policies of what they will accept. The following are companies who focus on recycling cartridges for businesses and homeowners: 

1) http://www.recyclefree.com
2) http://www.freerecycling.com

3) http://www.tonerbuyer.com
4) http://www.ecyclegroup.com
5) http://www.rrewards.com