Recycling ink cartridges can be a big problem for businesses, especially those that burn through a cartridge every few days. These cartridges can present a big problem for the environment, they can be hard to get rid of and they certainly take up a lot of room. However, there are several ways to recycle these cartridges to get them out of your business, and to make you feel a little better about yourself.

Look at the cartridge’s packaging. Some ink manufacturers offer their own recycling program, and this can be the easiest recycling method. If you no longer have the packaging, or if the packaging does not list any recycling information, check the manufacturer’s website; sometimes they will only list this online, or they may have started the program and the cartridge was made before the program. Normally you have to send the cartridge to them, or they may offer a pickup service for people with a lot of cartridges.

At alternative to recycling directly with the manufacturer is calling the United Kingdom Remanufacturers Association. Their phone number is 01706 525050. They can directly take the cartridges, or they can help provide you with instructions on how to recycle the cartridge.

Sell the used ink cartridge to a recycling service. Many ink cartridge recycling services need cartridges, so they are willing to pay people for used ink. Normally you do not make much per cartridge, and they only pay for certain cartridges, but it can still help reduce costs. Most of these recycling places actually refill and resell the cartridges, but some may break them down and turn them into other products. If you do not need or want the money from recycling, most places also allow you to allot the money to a charity, which can increase your business’s public relations if this is widely publicized.

Go to a store and recycle the ink cartridges. If you do not want to pay for shipping or get packages together, this may be the easiest method. Most office supply stores offer this feature. Some stores may only take certain cartridges, but most will be able to recycle the majority of brands and ink types. The store may even pay you for recycling, normally through a store coupon or voucher, but the number of these vouchers may be limited per day. Vouchers are normally only given for specific brands, even if the store can recycle other brands.

Another way to recycle an ink cartridge is doing it yourself. Most of the time the cartridge is not melted done or used for anything else; commonly the cartridge is refilled with ink. By refilling the cartridge yourself, you can reuse the cartridge and save on ink costs.

This may be a little difficult at first, as you have to inject the cartridge with ink, but it usually saves a lot of money. Not only that, but after doing this a few times, you will find this is pretty easy. You just need to open up the cartridge, inject the ink into the ink’s internal well or sponge and give the cartridge time to absorb the ink.

Recycling ink is easy, and it can save money and make you leave less of an impact on the earth.

Ben Greenwood is writing on behalf of Cartridge World, providers of ink cartridges and toner cartridges.

Ben Greenwood is writing on behalf of Cartridge World (http://www.cartridgeworld.co.uk), providers of office supplies, including ink cartridges and toner cartridges.

Author Bio: Ben Greenwood is writing on behalf of Cartridge World, providers of ink cartridges and toner cartridges.

Category: Advice
Keywords: recycling, recycled printer cartridges, inkjet cartridges, toner cartridges