Greensource Printeco cartridges raise over £50,000 for Children's Hospice South West

We've reached a landmark. 

At the time of writing, £50,342 has been raised for Children’s Hospice South West from the sale of our Printeco range of printer cartridges.

“The Printeco partnership has been in place since December 2010 and reaching this milestone makes everyone in the company incredibly proud” said the boss

He added, “Our Printeco laser cartridges are remanufactured in Bristol and it is testament to the popularity of the product that we have raised so much”.

£1 is donated to Children’s Hospice South West with every Printeco cartridge sold.

Several years ago, the staff at Greensource were invited to visit the hospice in Charlton Farm. It was an incredibly positive and awe inspiring experience for everyone. Several of us were a little tentative, but seeing the Hospice made supporting the charity all the more meaningful. 

Long may this relationship continue.

Thanks to Children's Hospice South West, our customers, everyone who supplies empty cartridges to us and not forgetting everyone at Greensource who make it all possible. We love you all!  

Hewlett Packard Counterfeit cartridges

Earlier this year, I took part in some market research which (it turned out) was conducted on behalf of Hewlett Packard, Brother and Xerox to get views about genuine, clone and counterfeit cartridges.

I'd never even heard of the term clone and counterfeit cartridges?!? That was just something I had read about as being a problem in the Middle East. I rambled on that my main concern was the terrible effect compatible printer cartridges imports were having on the UK market.

How times have changed!

Counterfeit Hewlett Packard laser cartridges are entering the UK market place in increasing numbers.

We haven't seen counterfeits for any other brand. 

We have only seen counterfeit colour laser cartridges for the following printer families:

• HP CP1515 printers using CB540A/CB541A/CB542A/CB543A
• HP CP2025 printers using CC530A/CC531A/CC532A/CC533A
• HP CP1025 printers using CE310A/CE311A/CE312A/CE313A
• HP CP1525 printers using CE320A/CE321A/CE322A/CE323A

These cartridges are all similar in design (cuboid shaped, approximately 30cm in length).

Greensource Solutions are in the privileged position of being a cartridge collector, supplier and remanufacturer. Unlike many suppliers, we handle many thousands of empty cartridges every month from the public and private sector. 
My colleagues have been educating me about the tell tale signs and I hope this information will help anyone using a Hewlett Packard printer.

Genuine CC531A (top) Counterfeit CC531A (bottom)

Can you spot any differences?

This photo shows some printing differences on the labels. On the left hand side of the label, you can see the first picture on the counterfeit cartridge (bottom) is different colours to the genuine version. The quality of the counterfeit label is inferior to the genuine cartridge.

Genuine label close up

Counterfeit label close up

These close up pics of the labels illustrate differences more clearly. 
The counterfeit cartridge label looks ever so slightly blurry - they often lack the sharpness of a genuine label.
The curved edges on the labels are also different - HP labels always have that same curve whereas the counterfeit labels are sometimes straight corners (we're going in deep now!).

You can also see how the chips on the left hand side of the cartridge are different.


On many of the counterfeit cartridges we've seen, the chip is a different colour to the genuine HP green - this isn't conclusive.

Genuine cartridge left hand side

Counterfeit cartridge left hand side

The latest of batch of counterfeit cartridges are plainly fakes because of the plug in the left hand side. 

A genuine Hewlett Packard laser cartridge will never have a plug like this.

This is quite audacious of the counterfeiting operation - they're trying to pass drill and fill cartridges off as the real deal. Naughty.

I've circled the chip again to illustrate how the genuine and counterfeit differ. On this particular counterfeit, the housing around the chip has also been burnt/melted (like a soldering iron has gone to work on it), which would never be the case on a genuine cartridge.

Genuine cartridge right hand side

Counterfeit cartridge right hand side

One clear difference on this side is the cog colours.

Genuine cartridges plastic casing and parts are uniform in colour.

There is one more point, my learned colleagues inform me of. A genuine Hewlett Packard printer cartridge will have a plastic case that is matt in appearance. Many of the counterfeit printer cartridges are much more shiny.

WHAT NEXT?

If you think you have been supplied a counterfeit cartridge, contact your supplier. 

SO, AM I BUYING SUPPLIES FROM A SHYSTER?

We supply and I have some sympathy for suppliers who have been told they've sold a counterfeit cartridge (I rue the day when we get the accusing phone call from one of our lovely customers).

I am sympathetic because many cartridge sales are shipped direct from distributors (of which there are only 5-10 in the UK that most of us cartridge suppliers use), so the supplier will not necessarily have even handled the offending article.

The next issue is the packaging. I have personally been acquainted with many counterfeit cartridges. I have yet to see one counterfeit box. Think about it, who would save an empty cartridge box next to the printer? 

If the cartridge box is of high quality, then I would personally find it very hard to identify that something was not right. As a supplier, I would never open boxes to check stock - I couldn't sell the goods as new afterwards.

Counterfeit cartridges are an issue that any supplier worth their salt takes seriously and will respond appropriately to any concerns their customer has. 

I hope this has been helpful and if you have any enquiries about counterfeit laser cartridges then please contact Greensource Solutions. We have a supply of counterfeit cartridges we are holding and can provide images and examples as resources.

patricks@greensource.co.uk

www.greensourcesolutions.co.uk

0117 304 2390

The true cost of home printing

The cost of ink cartridges for desktop printers has been a feature in the news for many years - printer ink costs per gram than gold / fine champagne?!?

There is no doubt it is an expensive habit that many of us indulge in.

The Guardian have run an interesting feature which has a focus on how the oem manufacturers (the companies who make the printers and "genuine" ink cartridges) have reduced the amount of ink in cartridges over time to get more bang from their buck.
Counter arguments ensue - some of which have validity, but ultimately it's a case of market forces never being satisfied.

Greensource has some great suggestions to minimise your home printing costs:

• Use remanufactured cartridges. These are generally a minimum of 30% cheaper than their brand name equivalents. Unsure or unhappy with the quality? Any supplier worth their salt these days will offer a no quibble guarantee on remanufactured products so choose where you buy from with that in mind.
• Avoid colour printing at home. Many online photo services offer fantastic deals these days. This is much cheaper than printing at home (remember you need ink and photo paper), but does sacrifice the instant gratification. The vast majority of other printing people do is documents isn't it? Is it really necessary to have your e-ticket in colour.
• Buy a mono laser printer. Straight away, a cartridge prints thousands of copies rather than hundreds and the cost per cartridge can be comparable with oem inks, so big savings to be made.
• Take advantage of the work place! I think we all understand what I'm talking about;-)

I'd also like to add a footnote about cartridge recycling. Greensource was founded to raise funds for charity through the collection of empty printer cartridges. This activity fuelled the cartridge remanufacturing industry. 
However a paradox exists. Quality control measures mean that the cartridge remanufacturing sector rarely reuses anything other than an empty brand name cartridge. Despite this, the arguments for using remanufactured cartridges most convincing as it benefits the cost you pay, quality is guaranteed and the environment has fewer resources taken from it.

Hewlett Packard endorse remanufactured products

The relationship between multinational printer manufacturers and the cartridge remanufacturing industry can be a bit cat and mouse. 

The remanufacturing industry has been thrown a chunk of cheese from Hewlett Packard.
Their Renew program promotes customers using quality guaranteed remanufactured machines.

That sounds familiar!

What's good for Greensource is good for CANON!!!!

Our Industry wants everyone to view remanufactured and compatible cartridges as equals in quality to their brand name equivalents. This is why most remanufactured cartridge suppliers have no quibble guarantees on their products. 
So it's always good to see a Multinational company employ the same principals of reuse for it's consumables as the little guys. I quote:

Once toner cartridges are received at the recycling site, they are sorted according to model before being disassembled. It is at this point that reusable parts are cleaned and recovered.  After cleaning, reusable parts go through a rigorous inspection process that employs the same strict quality standards applied to new parts.  Parts reused in a new toner cartridge are the charging roller, sleeve and magnetic roller. 
Toner cartridges containing recycled parts are of exactly the same quality as those that are brand new, which is why all toner cartridges now display a message telling consumers that the cartridge may contain reconditioned and remoulded parts. 
Owing to quality standards, it is impossible to tell the difference between a toner cartridge that has recycled parts and one that hasn’t.

From Canons website

That's us!...but 50% more expensive
 

Greensource Solutions introduces livechat to its website

Livechat is now available on the Greensource website.

We thought long and hard about this (Skype was the last foray into modern communications and that felt a little...grubby), but the clincher for me was that I can now eat a biscuit and provide great customer service at the same time. Yum yum!

If you have any queries about sales products and availability, or our recycling services then ping a message our way and expect a prompt reply!

Children's Hospice South West Mobile Phone Amnesty

Children's Hospice South West and Greensource Solutions launch our mobile phone amnesty on 1st December 2011.

This will run until 31st January 2012 and we are aiming to receive 1000 mobile phones - that's 1000 messages of support for the families who receive respite care, emergency support and end of life care at Little Bridge House, Charlton Farm and Little Harbour over Christmas and the New Year.

Participating is easy! Simply fill in the contact form on the website and you'll receive a freepost envelope to return any handsets you have.

Any mobile phone, regardless of age or condition can be accepted and will be reused or at worst recycled.

We hope that supporters of the Hospice and recyclers alike will think of us at Christmas time if they get a brand new handset from santa!

Above and Beyond is our newest charity partner!

We are proud to announce our new charity partner, Above and Beyond.

This charity is the fundraising arm for all nine of Bristols central hospitals - which is close to all of our hearts here at Greensource.
They invest in projects that provide gold-standard care, and make a real difference to patients in Bristol.
Each year Above & Beyond provides approx £3 million to the hospitals - a fantastic level of support for our marvellous NHS.

Welcome on board and we look forward to collecting cartridges and mobile phones from their supporters!

Greensource sponsors a gorilla for Barton Hill Primary School!

Greensource Solutions has sponsored a gorilla statue for Barton Hill Primary School - local to us in Bristol.

This is part of an education and fundraising scheme that Bristol Zoo Gardens have devised as one of the celebrations for its 175th anniversary. The idea is similar in principal to other animal statues seen around the UK (pigs, lions and donkeys all spring to mind). The statues are decorated by artists and displayed to raise awareness and to fund raise.

We are really pleased to be supporting Barton Hill Primary. They are one of the closest schools to Greensource Towers and we saw a selection of designs the kids had submitted from their work in the art group. We reckon the finished Gorilla will look amazing!
It, with all the other school gorillas will be displayed in a prominent location in the Bristol community for 10 weeks during the summer of 2011.

We'll post pictures when the gorilla has been painted.

Greensource Solutions has new partners!

Greensource Solutions is proud to announce not one, or two, but THREE new partners it will fund raise for!

We always like forming new relationships and these three all have meaning for us:



Bristol Zoo Gardens is so much more than a visitor attraction; we’re also a leading conservation and education charity.

We are involved in a growing number of field conservation projects, working directly to safeguard threatened plants, animals and habitats. Projects range from breeding programmes in the Zoo to conserving species in the wild such as the native White Clawed crayfish, to the lemurs of Madagascar and orphaned gorillas in Cameroon. Gorillas are a critically endangered species and the gorilla sanctuary we support in Cameroon provides a safe haven for young gorillas that have been orphaned by the bushmeat trade. It costs over £100 to provide one month’s supply of leaves to a gorilla at our primate rescue centre in Cameroon.

One of our successful conservation breeding programmes has been the recent birth of twin asiatic lion cubs to first time mum Shiva and dad Kamal. Asiatic lions are a critically endangered species and to protect them from extinction Bristol Zoo is participating in an
internationally co-ordinated breeding programme. It costs over £700 per month to enable us to participate in these breeding programmes.

For further details of how you can support of work please visit our website www.bristolzoo.org.uk
Registered charity number: 1104986

Bristol Zoo Gardens is an institution to us. Many Greensource staff are members of the Zoo and this new partnership coincides with the Zoos 175 anniversary. Being local means a lot to us, as does the philosophy the Zoo maintains in its care of the animals, support of projects overseas and its education programmes.


Respect for Animals campaigns against the cruel and unnecessary international fur trade, believing fur farming and trapping to be morally indefensible.
Every year 75 million animals are killed solely for their fur, a product that no one needs. Animals are farmed in factory conditions or trapped and brutally killed in the wild.
Respect for Animals undertakes education, research and lobbying for the benefit of animals, campaigning against the fur trade for many years. Our research and educational programmes have lead to a drastic decline in fur sales in the UK but fur wearing remains as popular as ever elsewhere in the world.
Find out more at www.respectforanimals.co.uk

This organisations work and campaigning resonates with us.


The Ulster Architectural Heritage Society has been working across Northern Ireland since 1967 promoting the appreciation and enjoyment of good architecture of all periods and encouraging the conservation, restoration and re-use of Ulster's built heritage. As an environmental charity we are very much concerned with sustainability and recycling.

With your support we can continue to:
* Provide information, advice & training for individuals & groups undertaking restoration projects.
* Campaign to protect buildings at risk and bring them back into use.
* Influence planning policy in favour of architectural heritage & good design.
* Increase the enjoyment of our built heritage through an annual programme of events.
* Increase the appreciation, awareness & recording of our built heritage through publications.

To find out more about our work and how you can help make a difference to the protection of the architectural heritage of Ulster

visit www.uahs.org.uk

The Ulster Architectural Heritage Society is a charity recognised by HM Revenue & Customs No. XN 48188 and a Company Limited by Guarantee No. NI35582

We are so pleased to have another partner whose work concerns Northern Ireland.

We look forward to working with Bristol Zoo Gardens, Respect for Animals and Ulster Architectural Heritage Society in 2011 and beyond and hope our relationship with each of them is long lasting and fruitful!

Have HP curbed their Planet Partners cartridge returns scheme?

I recently had an email from a company in Bristol I'd previously contacted to promote our charity recycling scheme.
They had declined our services, because they were using HP's freepost returns scheme which suited their use. However a month later they told me "it would appear that H P are no longer accepting individual cartridges...we only found out as we print labels on line and it stated no longer available."

This could be great news for the printer cartridge recycling industry!

Despite fierce competition, Hewlett Packard still dominate the printer market and the cartridge remanufacturing market make more compatible HP cartridges than any other brand.

I wonder if margins are squeezing HP now? Their scheme diverted cartridges from landfill, but I would wager the scheme was purely in place to restrict the number of empty cartridges available to remanufacturing companies like us - HP appear to have no other financial benefit from this relationship.

I'll wait and see if more enquiries come to us from Hewlett Packard customers (fingers crossed!)

Super 3D printing

Earlier this year I passed on some super space age printing technique that a supporter of ours told me about. Well, my boss saw that some bright spark has printed a real car!!!?!

Sometimes this world makes me feel analogue...

Printeco supports Children's Hospice South West for one year and raises thousands!

Greensource Solutions Printeco cartridge range has supported Children's Hospice South West for one year now and we are extremely proud to tell the world that £14,894 has been raised for the charity from Printeco cartridge sales!

This is a fantastic amount. We support Children's Hospice South West in a variety of ways and approached the charity in 2009 to propose the Printeco partnership.

Greensource donate £2 to the charity from the sale of every Printeco cartridge sold.

Our Printeco cartridge range includes over 300 different compatible toner cartridges. We remanufacture them at our site in Bristol to strict standards - each cartridge has a 2 year guarantee. The cartridge will match or exceed the quality of its branded equivalent and they cost significantly less (in some cases they can be up to 70% cheaper).

Just as important as all of this is their environmental performance. Because these cartridges are remade from empty cartridges, they use a fraction of the energy in their production (compared to branded cartridges) and because Greensource Solutions operations are all at our Bristol location, less road miles are travelled throughout the (second) life of the cartridge compared to overseas imports or many of our competitors.

In short, we think you should use them! If you are interested in finding out more about our Printeco range, or getting a quote on the cartridges then contact our sales team:
sales@greensource.co.uk
0117 3042396

Greensource Solutions unveils it's new website

We are proud to present our new and improved website. A lot of work has been done to this version to make it easier to navigate around and find what you want to.

On a design related note, this is an official move from cliche green that we (and a zillion other environmental companies) championed for many years.
Now this isn't to say that green is not a great colour and it's connotations and symbolism is in everyones mind. But one day recently something snapped in the psyche of Greensources marketing department. From that point on there has been an almost religious fervour in selecting any colour other than green when designing.

I think the site design is fabulous and the new site tops off what has been a fantastic year for Greensource Solutions.

Onwards and upwards!

How do you catch a ghost?

Now, I wouldn't say we're superstitious here, but somethings are unexplainable...

We employ three drivers at Greensource. Part of their job is to go and collect empty cartridges from businesses local to us.

There's always been competition and sometimes cartridges will have been taken by another collector - I guess we've done the same on occasion. Most collectors are charity affiliated and most businesses retain loyalty to a certain collector, because of the charity they support.

However the course of events since 2007 has changed this in Bristol. Greensource acquired the two other cartridge collectors local to us and effectively all this argie bargie of one man taking another ones cartridges should have ended...but it didn't.

There is a mysterious/indescribable/ninja/ghost woman who drifts in and out of offices in Bristol taking empty cartridges. I'm starting to obsess about this particular individual though the more I dig the less I know.

Soze cartridge recycling - yes I do support charity!

So, getting in to the role of chief investigator at Greensource I ask all the businesses we collect from and who are aware of this woman who she works for, if they have contact details, even what she looks like! And I come up with zip.
People are genuinely unable to even describe this woman. It's like she has the ability to stand in a room and do what she chooses without anyone even seeing her.

This is becoming surreal and laughable and I am enjoying the jokes with our donors about it.

But there is a serious side that I am more than happy to make platitudes about.
We collect to raise funds for our charity partners and two of these charities are local to us - St Peter's Hospice and Children's Hospice South West. So beyond my bafflement I see our charity partners missing out on something they deserve.

The ghost collector does mention to the businesses she frequents that a charity benefits. But no one seems to pin point which one...The two mentioned most commonly are NSPCC and Clic Sargeant.
I'm really taking the role seriously now, so phone up both charities and dig a little and find out no one regionally or nationally is aware of someone in the Bristol area doing this on their behalf. This is weird - and possibly fraudulent.

My mind is racing, trying on the one hand to justify what the cartridge ninja does (simply a good person, supporting charity very anonymously) while pragmatically building up a case against this (seriously, how easy is it to go and sell empty cartridges for the average person and why is it all so vague!!!!)

Experience of working with charities leads my cynicism on, as official relationships need to be airtight and a regular supporter/volunteer would be known by someone

And now my own paranoia takes hold. What if I do unmask a fraud, who has been living off this for years and ruin their life? Maybe I'll unleash a monster hellbent on taking revenge - it happens!!!

What 2011 holds, for us and the cartridge pixie time will only tell.


NB I like telling this story because it adds a different kind of colour to the business than the CMYK we deal in.

Greensource Solutions unveils the online cartridge recycling search tool

Greensource Solutions is proud to announce its online cartridge search tool is now live and ready for use!

Printer cartridge recycling is a subjective thing. Sadly not every cartridge can be accepted by us (and other collectors in the industry) as not every cartridge is refilled.
We've always published a cartridge guide that people could look at online, or receive from us. However, if you don't live, eat and breathe cartridges like us it could be a tad unwieldy.

After some thought and a lot of development there is a new way to check whether we can accept the cartridges you want to recycle.

The idea is simple, you have cartridges you want to check can be recycled?
Go on the cartridge search tool and select the brand of the cartridge. Then check the list and hey presto we hope you have cartridges we can accept!

We also provide information in the subsequent email sent out which can direct you to what to do with cartridges we can't accept - you can also check out this previous blog

All of this is done to reuse, reduce landfill and raise money for our charity partners

3d Printing!!!!

A supporter of Greensource Solutions passed this onto me recently. 3D printing!!!!

It's not like that though! 3D printing is not about making blurry pictures, these printers actually make physical things like prosthetic limbs, quirky lampshades or houses!!!

I only found out about this, because Greensource Solutions is involved in printing, but not NASA style printing.

The principals seem similar: The machine gets a design sent to it from computer and adds layer upon layer of whatever material it uses and hey presto there's your finished product.

Apparently this technology has been around for sometime, but it feels very 21st century to me.

Battery car, or Diesel - which has least impact?

Straying from the normal fare, my boss passed me this interesting report produced by the Swiss Government which calculated the impact of a battery powered car compared to a diesel powered vehicle.
Believe it or not, diesel vehicles come off better in the study. The clincher is the source of energy that battery cars use to power up - if the electricity comes from a dirty power station then it doesn't look good.

This study most importantly (in my mind) raises that age old dilemma of how people perceive change. In this particulat example, Battery power has clear advantages if its power can be obtained from clean sources. But the transition will always cost dearly.

Check out this Infographic about Recycling in the UK

Claire from Recycling.co.uk forwarded Greensource Towers this lovely looking infographic about the levels of household recycling that currently occurs in the UK. Here's a small version of it...

Infographic by Recycle - Don't bin it, recycle it

I was fascinated and slightly horrified by the decomposition times of things I am guilty of throwing away (nappies take 550 years!!! that is a long time smell).

I think it's time to build that DIY pyrolysis chamber in my back yard.

Definitely worth a read.

Got toners you can't recycle?

We collect empty printer cartridges. We've done it for years! We do it because many printer cartridges have still got a lot of life in them after they've run out of ink. So an empty can be refilled, reconditioned, remanufactured, turned into a compatible (there's a lot of different phrases that people use).

I like to think of it as 21st century rag and bone because we take what many see as rubbish and give it new life

"Greensource Solutions, how can I help?"

However, there's always been cartridges no one wants to refill. Sometimes we think we have a good answer for this, sometimes all we can say is dems da breaks.

After extensive planning and research I thought to provide some answers to where this detritus might go - other than landfill which we never like to promote (in some cases, unless you are willing to pay that is all there is though). Click on the manufacturer name where relevant to go to their web page.

THE MANUFACTURERS RETURNS SCHEMES FOR TONERS

Brother

Have a freepost scheme for many of their empty cartridges that we can't accept.

http://www.brother.co.uk/s_page/204810/s_name/recycling22/s_element/1682140/searchkey/toner%20recycling

Canon 

Use Ereco to recycle all of their empty toners and cartridges that cannot be refilled (often the C-EXV parts).

http://www.canon.co.uk/About_Us/About_Canon/Environmental_Activities/Canon_eReco_tonerbottlerecycling.aspx

They do have a recycling program for low value inks:

http://www.canon.co.uk/recycling/inkjet/index.aspx

Danwood

Have a returns scheme (publicised in their brochures) in partnership with Accutec. Call Danwood head office T: 01753 630000 for more information.

Dell

For ink cartridges we can't accept.

https://www.printerecycling.com/Default.aspx?pid=1&rO=3&culture=en-GB

Epson

Their inkjet cartridge range can be returned via this link.

http://content.epson-europe.com/environment/collectandrecycle/en/

Gestetner

Online they state their toner cartridges all have a returns label in the box. On a side note Gestetner is part of the NRG group which is owned by Ricoh.

http://www.gestetner.co.uk/about_us/environment/environmental_management/index.xhtml

Hewlett Packard

All cartridges we can't accept can be returned to them via their Planet Partners programme.

https://h30248.www3.hp.com/recycle/ereturns/welcome-hpe.asp?__cc=gb&__la=en

IBM

No scheme in place.

Ikon

See Ricoh below.

Kodak

On their website they say that certain retail outlets will accept their inks (but give no specifics).

http://shop.kodak.co.uk/store/ekconseu/en_GB/pd//productID.187982700

16/07/10 UPDATE!! After speaking with their customer service line, they currently don't have any UK based returns scheme and suggested seeing if the retailer would accept the empty cartridges.

Konica Minolta

Operate the World on loan scheme. They use Imprint (new! change in 2013 / 2014) to recycle all of their empty toners and cartridges that cannot be refilled.

http://www.konicaminolta.co.uk/business-solutions/environment/bizhub-printers-consumable-recycling.html

Kyocera Mita

http://www.kyoceradocumentsolutions.co.uk/index/toner_cassette_returns.html

Lanier

See Ricoh below.

Lexmark

Have a inkjet and laser collection program.

http://www1.lexmark.com/en_GB/about-us/collection-and-recycling-program/cartridge-collection-program/index.shtml

Mannesman Tally

See Printronix below.

Nashuatec

Online they state their toner cartridges all have a returns label in the box. They are part of the NRG Group which is owned by Ricoh.

Online they state their toner cartridges all have a returns label in the box.

NRG Group

Runs Nashuatec, Rex Rotary and Gestetner brands. This company is owned by Ricoh.

Oce

(Part of Canon now who bought them out) Do have information about toner bottle recycling on site, but of the three options returning to them is the last and it doesn't seem guaranteed they will accept.

http://sustainability.oce.com/care-and-dispose.asp

Oki

Operate their own returns scheme using freepost bags/labels.

http://www.oki.co.uk/corporate/environment/detail.aspx?id=tcm:122-101705-16

Panasonic

Operate their own returns scheme using freepost labels supplied in the cartridge box

http://panasonic.net/eco/factory/product_recycle/out_of_japan.html#section-01

Printronix

They took over Tallys laser printer range when Tally went bust in 2009. They no longer operate the printer cartridge return scheme, as it costs too much for them and their customers.

Rex Rotary

Online they state their toner cartridges all have a returns label in the box. They are part of the NRG group which is owned by Ricoh.

http://www.rexrotary.co.uk/about_us/environment/environmental_management/index.xhtml

Ricoh

UPDATE 13/08/13

Ricoh now state they run a free of charge collection scheme. I've been told a condition is buying supplies direct from Ricoh. The scheme hasn't been proven to work yet!

http://www.ricoh.co.uk/about-ricoh/our-principles/environment/ricoh-toner-recycling/

They also still seem to use Ereco as a charged collection scheme.

Note that Lanier and Ikon are both brands owned by Ricoh (Lanier is part of their US division and Ikon are a Ricoh company).

Samsung

Have the STAR program for cartridge returns.

http://www.samsung.com/printer/STAR/

Sharp

Use Ereco to recycle all of their empty toners and cartridges that cannot be refilled.

http://www.fcbs.co.uk/environmental/consumable-recycling-scheme.pdf

Tally

See Printronix above.

Toshiba

Charge £40 per boxed collection, of which they pay 50% of charges. TNT collect on their behalf.

email: consumables.orders@toshibatec.co.uk

Xerox

Their Greenworld Alliance Scheme freepost return scheme can be used to return single cartridges.

http://www.xerox.com/about-xerox/recycling/enus.html

Xerox also make provision for larger collections from their customers. Greensource can provide this information to anyone interested.


As you may have noticed, a lot of these companies have chosen to use Ereco to provide this service to their customers.
Now, as much as we want to promote the recycling industry and reduce landfill...£34.50 per 20Kg of toners!!!

I would find it hard to justify this cost to my colleagues in accounts.