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Recycling Ink and Toner Cartridges

By editor ⋅ July 2, 2009 ⋅ Email this post ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

A few years ago, my friend Twila Lenoir ran a contest for Crafts on a Budget, challenging her readers to submit photos of their recycled crafts. One submission was this imaginative use of empty ink cartridges, decorated as mini Christmas packages for the Christmas tree.

Since then, some great recycling programs have emerged - Staples stores in Canada began a Recycle for Education program in 2004 and this past school year raised $400,000 by collecting used cartridges for recycling, and donating the funds to schools that sign up for the program.

Residents of the U.S. receive a $3 Staples reward for every ink or toner cartridge returned to their local Staples store - see Staples Ink and Toner Cartridge Recycling for more information. A limit of ten cartridges per month applies.

Office Depot, as part of their Green initiative, will send out prepaid boxes for you to return empty ink or toner cartridges for recycling. Ask your local store for more information, or call 1-800-GO-DEPOT and ask for item number 816-656 for ink cartridges or item 824-712 for toner cartridges. Just place your empty cartridge in the prepaid box and return it for a simple way to reduce waste and save energy!

Tags: ink cartridge, Recycling