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.

The carbon footprint of your mobile phone

The Grauniad have published this article that tries to quantify the carbon footprint of a mobile phone use.
Fairly interesting stuff on one level - I like the fact it breaks down the various stages of a mobile phones manufacture.
However, like all calculations in this impossibly complex field it could never take into account every circumstance and some of the withering responses from readers point out its various shortfalls.

One thing close to our hearts here is mobile phone reuse. The article points out that nearly 2.7 billion phones are in use worldwide (nearly 50% of humans use one apparently), however what could never be easily confirmed is how many of these phones are 2nd, 3rd or 4th hand.

This in our humble opinion must account for a sizeable proportion out there. Our industry frequently bandies about the figure that an estimated 90 million phones are lying redundant in draws across the UK alone!

What cannot be denied is that mobile communication and increasingly internet access from handheld devices is ubiquitous in our society and clearly all over the planet and this has to have an impact on our world

Mobile phone industry emissions equal to the car and aviation industry?

It has been claimed in a news item on Edie.net that the mobile phone industry generates 183 million tonnes of CO2 annually which is approximately 0.7% of global emissions.

The report continues to quote Deloittes telecoms partner, Tony Cooper, "Telecoms businesses are responding to this issue, but there is still significant progress to be made in areas such as increased network sharing, reduced power consumption, improved field force effectiveness and reduced handset renewal."

After checking out google (classic - the extent of 21st century research) I saw Treehugger had expanded on this story and included a manifesto by the GSM Association that aimed to provide a blueprint for the industry to reduce its emissions significantly.

These figures seem big! However, it seems perfectly feasible none the less and I hope this info can increase the pressure on the industry to improve it's energy performance.

On this very blog we reported on developments by Nokia to manufacture a phone that never requires mains charging which from the perspective of the end user would mean big savings were possible.

As a phone user in England, I have been guilty of getting wowed by a new handset with every contract - not necessary surely (wifey negotiated a much smaller contract fee with T-Mobile if she didn't get a new handset, so it is a reality but I guess it's in the big contract providers interest to continue to lavish us with new handsets). I've heard the European market doesn't work like this and our company collect unwanted handsets to resell or recycle.

Less energy use please!

Greensource Solutions partners with Friends of Paradise Wildlife Park

We are happy to announce that we have gone into partnership with Friends of Wildlife Paradise Park to raise funds for their work by collecting empty printer cartridges, mobile phones, PDAs, MP3 players, digital cameras and sat nav devices. These will be reused or recycled.

Friends of Paradise Wildlife Park (FoPWP) is a registered charity
(charity number: 1108609) based at Paradise Wildlife Park in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire. FoPWP is run by people with a real passion for animals who are dedicated to raising awareness for the conservation of animals both in the UK and Internationally.

To date, thanks to the effort put into fundraising by all our volunteers, those who attend our events, Paradise Wildlife Park and its visitors; FoPWP has been able to raise thousands of pounds for animal conservation charities worldwide including: Gyps Vulture Project, Wildlife Vets International, Hill Top Animal Sanctuary, 21st Century Tiger, World Land Trust through BIAZA, Save the Rhino and the EAZA Campaigns, including this year’s for European Carnivores to name but a few.

Numerous fundraising events are run throughout the year by FoPWP raising funds which are then available in the form of grants to any animal based project worldwide. A list of previous grants can be found on the PWP website on the dedicated FoPWP page.

Please help us to continue our important conservation work of raising funds and awareness for conservation efforts around the world by volunteering at one of our events, joining as a member, making a donation or coming along to one of our events.

Go to www.pwpark.com to find out more about FoPWP and Paradise Wildlife Park.

An honourable mention also needs to go out to Ashley at Paradise Park for efficiency beyond the realms of the charity world! (Ed. please note that all of our charity partners are extremely efficient)

Greensource Solutions partners with Ulster Wildlife Trust

We are happy to announce a new partnership with the Ulster Wildlife Trust. We will be raising funds for the Trust by collecting empty printer cartridges, mobile phones, PDAs, MP3 players, digital cameras and sat nav devices. All of these things will be reused or recycled.

The Ulster Wildlife Trust is your local nature conservation charity working across Northern Ireland for a natural environment rich in wildlife, valued by everyone. We are the only local charity dedicated to protecting all of our local habitats and species, both on our land and in our seas.

With your support, we can continue to:

• Engage with thousands of children and young people to inspire them about their natural environment.
• Maintain and grow our network of nature reserves as havens for local wildlife and people.
• Protect threatened species like the red squirrel, barn owl and Irish hare.
• Work at the heart of the community helping others to boost the wildlife value of their local parks and green spaces.
• Lobby government and elected representatives to ensure that legislation and policies are in place to conserve and enhance Northern Ireland’s biodiversity.

To find out more about our work and how you can help make a difference to local wildlife and wild places, visit www.ulsterwildlifetrust.org

The Ulster Wildlife Trust is a charity recognised by HM Revenue & Customs No. XN45269 and a company limited by Guarantee No. 12711

Greensource Solutions welcomes new charity partners

It's always a treat to announce we have a new charity partner, so for two to come along so close together is double bubble!!!

I will pay each charity the respect of giving them their own post so details will follow...

The Greensource Totaliser

Greensource Solutions supports Children's Hospice South West in several ways - most recently creating a partnership where we give them £2 from the sale of our every one of our Printeco cartridges.

To celebrate this and to register the fact we are children of a certain era (see pic above) we've built the Greensource Totaliser which has its pride of place on the Greensource Solutions homepage.

The Totaliser speaks! it's already registering £1048 raised from Decembers sales.

We look forward to seeing the total grow...