How green is your ink?

E-cycle … recycle … return … remanufacture … reuse … recharge

Are you getting confused? This is not a new thesaurus that I am trying to compile. This is just a list of words that are often heard when we talk about ink cartridges. So many “re” make you “rethink” the environmental friendliness of the ink cartridge you use. Does the brand of ink you use increase or decrease the level of pollution in the world? In other words, ‘How green is your ink?’

There was a time when home printing was unheard of and pollution was more or less controlled as it was limited to printing presses. Now, not only the printing volume has increased enormously, but also the waste generated by it. While printing at home, most of the time we dispose of empty ink cartridges rather than return them to the manufacturer for recycling, reuse, or refilling.

We hardly ever consider the fact that the plastics used in printer cartridges take more than 1,000 years to break down. The production of each new cartridge consumes 2 ½ ounces of oil. Approximately 167 million inkjet cartridges are generally used as landfills, causing considerable environmental pollution. However, most of the generated garbage can be avoided.

Using remanufactured or refilled cartridges solves the problem of contamination to some extent and saves resources. Most of the major original equipment manufacturers have started to make recyclable and environmentally friendly ink and toner cartridges again. Companies follow strict quality standards, such as ISO 9001, and produce cartridges that have a higher yield per page.

Hewlett Packard has launched a new smaller and lighter cartridge package to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The convenient size of the new packages aims to reduce truck traffic in North America by approximately 1.5 million miles this year. It also uses recycled content cardboard instead of PVC to pack printer cartridges.

Since December 2006, Epson has begun replacing white ink cartridge packaging with recycled brown cardboard for its large format ink cartridges. The printing of the packages will be changed from color to black and white to reduce the use of chemicals. Epson also aims to eliminate dyes and reduce manufacturing processes by making ink cartridge housings natural in color.

Canon is extensively involved in environmental issues and offers grants for related projects. During the development stage of the manufacturing process, the effect of products on the environment is evaluated. Preventive steps are included in product design to reduce hazards.

But this is what OEMs do. And you? How environmentally conscious are you as a consumer? Did you know that parts used to make cartridges, such as aluminum, steel, plastic, toner, ink, and foam can be reused to make a range of new products?

Inkjet inks, the coloring pigment used in toners and plastics can be reused to produce eWood (a replacement product for plastic wood). Steel and aluminum can be cast into new steel and aluminum products and used to produce structural metal beams for buildings.

So the next time your printer runs out of ink, dispose of your cartridge in a smart and eco-friendly way.