Going Green: Ink Cartridge
Recycling Facts and Ideas

Have you ever wondered what your carbon footprint is, or just how you can do your part to making this world a more habitable place? Starting with the printing industry, there are numerous ways to reduce your output and put forth a positive impact in your environment. “There is no more neutrality in the world. You either have to be part of the solution, or you're going to be part of the problem.” - T. Siedner. Whether or not global warming is something you believe in, it may not hurt to get a better idea of how you can take a few simple steps to better the world. We’ll cover: the misconceptions from the printing industry, Google’s “Go Paperless in 2013” campaign, economical impact of print, types of printing and their carbon footprint; Also, just why it is beneficial to recycle and reuse.

Go Paperless and efficiency stats.

Rewind back to late 2012, Google started a new campaign to initiate a greener ecosystem, called Go Paperless in 2013. Is Google in the wrong to say that print is one of the worst carbon footprint providers? It is a tough call, however there are plenty of rebuttals to counteract their statements.Ê When we think of the green movement and the overall impact that the printing industry has on the environment there are a great majority of misconceptions floating around about how print is one of the worst means of pollution and consumption of resources. ÊWith that said, there really isn’t any truth to back that up, but here are the facts supporting print as an efficient means of recycling and the go green movement. The most widely proposed misconception is that print kills trees. While, yes, printing does kill trees; a tree is a renewable resource. Tree farms and forests all around North America are used to create paper. These are privately owned farms that account for approximately 4 million trees planted daily. Within the tree farms, tree consumption is within the hundreds of thousands daily worldwide. Hand over fist, there are more trees planted daily than ones being chopped down and used for paper. If we were to take a look at a forest in nature, without human intervention, natural phenomenon would cause the demise of almost every forest due to fires, fungus, and other natural causes. “Being green does not mean using digital communications instead of print”(Page 5. In The Value of Print retrieved from: http://value.printing.org). The process that goes into creating digital media and devices is vastly more polluting than that of print. Paper comes from renewable resources; once paper has been used it can be reused for another product. Printing is the only medium with a one-time carbon footprint. When something is printed nothing else needs to be done to the product for additional views. The same cannot be said for other means of media. Other forms require energy every time something is viewed.Ê It is safe to say that printing is very environment friendly. Pushing forward in the go green movement to stop global warming, printing is something that can help you reduce your carbon footprint.

Economics of Going Green

When you consider the go green initiative, not only does it make sense from an environmental standpoint but also it’s economical. If you’re able to prevent global warming and spread the benefits of recycling facts while saving money in the process; where do you go wrong? In terms of the “green movement” you can look at it as environmentally friendly and cash saving. Either way we win when we: take steps to recycle, reduce waste in landfills, save money and also reduce our consumption and carbon footprint. One might be questioning, “How can I save money and enjoy the benefits of recycling while going green?” Here are a few ways to save. Ink and toner cartridges have the ability to be refilled and refilling your printer toner cartridges is an extremely efficient means of reducing plastic sent to landfills. A single ink cartridge or toner cartridge can be reused multiple times. Recommended refill cycles usually are about four refills per plastic cartridge. Refilling also has the potential to save you drastic amounts of money on your printing supplies. After refilling comes the next best thing. Have you ever wondered, “What do they do with all of those recycled cartridges?” The answer is, they’re remanufactured into new cartridges again. Remanufactured products are a great way to reduce your Carbon footprint and save some money while doing so. Made with the same standard of materials as brand new cartridges, you know the product is going to work. While enjoying the benefits of remanufactured products C02 emissions are cut down, due to re using the usable plastic. It’s important that you don’t forget to recycle your toner and ink cartridges when you’re done so the cycle can continue on.

Types of printers to consider

Making a change towards a more eco friendly lifestyle is no easy choice. If you start with an object that is used everyday like a printer is, you’ve taken steps to a greener world all the while conserving your own funds as well. Different types of printers all offer different emissions as well as the feature sets. Inkjet printers use about 60% less emissions than laser priners but the need to purchase more frequently is a downside. Solid Ink printers, which combine elements of both technologies is the greenest way to print. Using Solid ink results in the greatest emission and carbon footprint reducer amongst printers for home use. The exclusion of an actual printer ink cartridge for solid ink ensures there is no waste to be sent to the landfill, for instance when the solid ink is out you simply insert a new one. No plastic cartridges are involved so you’re both reducing the amount of plastic created and sent to the garbage. Fewer parts in the printer cause the machine to require less energy as well. The less energy that is consumed the better. “What are the environmental benefits? Spectacular! It produces 90% less waste than a typical color laser printer, less energy and resources are used during manufacturing due to its simplicity and there is no waste or recycling needed afterwards.” (“Ecodirectory.com.au." Ecodirectory.com.au. 19 Aug. 2013)

Closing Statements

Through and through there are a plethora of ways to take steps to save money and the planet in the process. Supplies Outlet is committed to giving opportunities to our customers, noncustomers as well as ourselves to contribute to a better world. Buy with confidence in knowing when we all work together we can make the world a better, cleaner place.

Works Cited

"Ecodirectory.com.au." Ecodirectory.com.au. 19 Aug. 2013 <http://ecodirectory.com.au/content/solid-ink-printer-most-eco-friendly-printer>.
"Value of Print | Value of Print." Value of Print. 19 Aug. 2013 <http://value.printing.org/>.