What You Should do with used Ink Cartridges
Each South African citizen disposes of around 2,5 kilograms of waste per day depending on the income group they belong to. Around 54,2 million tonnes of domestic, commercial, and industrial waste is generated per year. Only in the region of 10% is recycled or recovered. 90%, or over 48 million tonnes, of all waste, ends up in landfills or other dumpsites.
In the region of 11 million ink cartridges and other printer consumable containers are sold in South Africa every year, of which only an estimated 30% are recycled. Each cartridge is estimated to have a carbon footprint of around 4,5kg of Carbon Dioxide (CO2). The large majority of ink cartridges end up being dumped or going into landfills. Plastic polymers used to manufacture ink cartridges and the polymers used to make toner for laser process printers do not degrade easily, taking up to a thousand years to decompose completely.
Decomposition times are related to the type of plastic used in the manufacturing process. Some toners are manufactured from industrial-grade plastics with extremely lengthy decomposition lives.
A cartridge often contains chemicals that are extremely toxic and cause serious environmental damage when dumped in landfills. As they decompose, they leak the leftover toxic chemicals and hazardous materials into the soil and groundwater. Used units contain chemicals that are potentially harmful to humans and the environment.
What are Ink Cartridges Made of?
Most polymers (plastics) are currently produced from coal, salt, natural gas, cellulose, and crude oil. Although printers are used daily by millions of people, not many users think about the raw materials that are used and how the manufacture of ink cartridges affects the environment. Making ink cartridges is actually a very complex process involving a number of components and chemical processes. They differ in design from company to company. Is the liquid component solvent or water-based? Is it soluble in water? How long will the unit take to decompose in a landfill?
The fact that a cartridge may be made from a variety of plastics and micro-engineered electronics makes it difficult to dispose of them in an environmentally protective manner. Going forward, plastics will increasingly be made from waste, renewable materials, or CO2. Plastics used in the manufacture of ink cartridges may use the equivalent of two litres of crude oil to produce a single cartridge. Crude oil is a non-renewable resource.
Benefits of Recycling Ink Cartridges
Each laser printer in service in a home or office creates around 45kg of waste a year. If the waste from every laser printer was recycled, especially their used cartridges, many tonnes of hazardous waste would be saved from entering the environment per year.
The upside of the highly durable plastic and metals used in the production of a toner or ink cartridge is that the remanufacture or recycling of the cartridge becomes economically viable. When choosing to purchase a remanufactured cartridge, you actively help prevent volatile contaminants being absorbed into the ground, air, and water.
Are You Part of The Problem or Part of the Solution?
Many of the leading printer manufacturers have programmes in place to reduce the environmental impact of their products – manufacturing printer consumables with “closed-loop” recycled plastic. “Closed loop” refers to the process of recycling and reusing the products constituting a cartridge without material loss, allowing for the use of less raw materials and reducing waste.
Be sure to choose your printer vendor carefully, so that you have the option to buy recycled or remanufactured units and decrease the adverse effects of your purchase on the environment. At Raydian, you will be able to choose from a comprehensive range of original and compatible units. A range of high-quality compatible toner and ink cartridges are available. Many of these are remanufactured or recycled units with the environmental benefits that remanufacturing and recycling offer.
Engage with a reputable company like Raydian. We supply OEM and compatible units for all the leading brands of printers at competitive prices. Contact us today for professional advice and the widest range of OEM and compatible ink cartridges for all leading brand printers. Our compatible ink cartridges are guaranteed and meet all OEM standards.