How green is your ink?

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

Are you getting confused? This is not a new thesaurus that I’m trying to compile. This is just a list of words that are often heard when we talk about ink cartridges. So many ‘re’-s make you ‘rethink’ about the ecology 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 contamination was more or less controlled as it was confined to printers. Now, not only the volume of printing has increased enormously, but also the waste generated by it. While printing at home, we mostly dispose of empty ink cartridges instead of returning them to the manufacturer for recycling, reuse, or refilling.

We hardly ever consider the fact that the plastics used in printer cartridges take over 1,000 years to decompose. The production of each new cartridge consumes 2 ½ ounces of oil. Approximately 167 million inkjet cartridges are normally used as landfills, causing considerable environmental pollution. However, most of the waste generated is avoidable.

Using remanufactured or refilled cartridges solves the pollution problem to some extent and saves resources. Most of the major OEMs have started to remanufacture environmentally friendly and recyclable ink and toner cartridges. Companies follow strict quality standards like ISO 9001 and produce cartridges that have higher page yields.

Hewlett Packard has launched a new smaller and lighter cartridge packaging 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 package printer cartridges.

Since December 2006, Epson has begun to replace the white ink cartridge packaging with recycled brown cardboard for its large format ink cartridges. The printing on 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 casings 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 the products on the environment is evaluated. Preventive steps are included in the product design to reduce hazards.

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

Inkjet inks, the pigment color agent used in toners and plastics can be reused to produce eWood (a plastic wood replacement product). Steel and aluminum can be smelted 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 the smart and green way.