We started out recycling our soda cans and then moved onto water bottles. Today, you can pretty much recycle most materials to the benefit of society and the environment. For this reason, think about taking your eco-friendly agenda up a notch by your recycling ink cartridges too.
While ink cartridges do not make the same carbon footprint other materials do, they can still impact the environment in a negative way. Each cartridge contains approximately 40 percent plastic and consumes at least a gallon of oil to make. Even though one cartridge only requires a small amount of plastic and oil, think about the millions of cartridges that are used globally in a week, a month, or even a year. Just in terms of the volume of materials used on a yearly basis, there are so many reasons to recycle your ink cartridges.
Let’s take a look at just some of the reasons you should recycle your ink cartridges going forward.
Conserve Resources
The latest eco-friendly printing technologies allow many to conserve ink. HP ink cartridges and printers, for example, make it possible for many people to lengthen the amount of time before replacing the next cartridge. While recycling works on an individual level, it also helps conserve resources by reducing gas emissions and reducing the amount of water and oil used to make ink cartridges. It essentially reduces our reliance on raw materials.
Environmental Impact
One of the central reasons to recycle your ink cartridges is because the effect of not recycling can potentially affect climate change, even if on a small scale. On a larger scale, recycling ink cartridges lessen the amount of energy required to make the product at the manufacturing plant site. Finally, it reduces the amount of oil and other material that will leach into the ground at the landfill, which in the end reduces the number of poisons and toxins that escape into the environment.
Furthermore, at the landfill, these cartridges contribute to a carbon footprint problem that does not disappear for at least 1,000 years, as millions of unrecycled cartridges are discarded yearly. Essentially, future generations will be faced with tackling the problem of cleaning up an environmental mess created at least a millennia ago. Also, your recycling ink cartridges not only benefits the environment but in the long run, it can save you money as well.
Cost-Effectiveness
As a result of conserving resources and reducing the environmental impact on the Earth, everyone benefits in terms of savings. Individuals save money because recycled materials tend to be less expensive than non-recycled material, and in some cases, you might earn extra cash for turning in used cartridges to be recycled for use later. Furthermore, it saves money over time simply because it costs less to recycle an ink cartridge than to produce a new one.
Reduce Waste
By recycling your ink cartridges, you contribute to reducing the amount of waste our environment is affected by. Millions of cartridges are tossed out on a yearly basis, and as stated previously, many of these cartridges are made from oil and plastic. By recycling these cartridges, you essentially lessen the number of waste products that end up in landfills around the world.
Paying It Forward Through Recycling
While it might appear to be difficult to find places to drop off used ink cartridges, there are programs and online resources that will allow you to recycle your used ink cartridges, some paying you for your effort. These places make it easy and convenient to drop off your ink cartridges. Of the many reasons to recycle ink cartridges, saving money and preserving the environment can really impact the way we live now and in future generations.
