It has been estimated that over 80% of our used cartridges are going directly to landfill.

Australians throw away more than 18 million printer cartridges every year.

This amounts to over 5,000 tonnes of material, including laser toner cartridges, inkjet cartridges, photocopier toner bottles and drums, that will eventually end up in landfill. That's why Planet Ark set up ‘Cartridges 4 Planet Ark ' .

So “Don't throw them away, throw them Planet Ark 's way!”

Where Can I Recycle My Printer Cartridges?

Simply take your empty and unwanted printer cartridges into your nearest participating Australia Post, Officeworks, Harvey Norman, Tandy, Dick Smith Electronics or PowerHouse outlet and place them in the special ‘Cartridges 4 Planet Ark' bins.

http://www.recyclingnearyou.com.au/cartridges.html

Why Should I Recycle Printer Cartridges?

Placing old printer cartridges into landfill can cause problems for the environment.

Planet Ark is working with Close the Loop® an Australian hi-tech resource recovery company, to prevent these problems. The recycling technology is so advanced that nothing goes to waste.

When you participate in this program, you are helping to:

• Recover Resources

Every product that you see in a store represents an investment of resources. Material resources, water and energy are used in the manufacture of most products, including printer cartridges.

The metals used in cartridges are mined from the earth's crust and the plastics are derived from petroleum. These resources are finite - there are limited amounts of them that can be extracted.

These materials can be recycled into new products. Metals, such as aluminium can be recycled again and again. Recycling these materials to make new products often uses less energy and makes better use of our material resources. It also leaves more virgin materials in the ground for future generations.

• Prevent Pollution

Some kinds of toner dust contain hazardous materials. Inkjet inks can also contain a range of chemicals that are harmful to the environment. These materials pose no threat while they are contained within the cartridge.

However, these pollutants can escape when cartridges are pulled apart in poorly managed refilling or recycling operations or when dumped cartridges start to deteriorate in landfill. Toner dust is also extremely fine (5 – 15 microns), so it can easily leach from landfill into nearby waterways, ground water and ultimately the oceans.

‘Cartridges 4 Planet Ark ' prevents pollution by ensuring that none of the cartridges collected are dumped in landfill and that the processing of cartridges at Close The Loop® facility operates within strict environmental management systems.

• Keep cartridge waste out of landfill

Landfill is not a long term solution - it just leaves the problem for future generations to deal with. Some cartridges can leak toner dust and residue ink in landfill, contributing to pollution.

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