Planet Ark discusses cartridge recycling

May 6, 2015

The collection company’s work in Queensland has ensured four million cartridges are collected and recycled.

Fraser Coast Chronicle reported on the company’s announcement that residents of the Queensland town have recycled 53,000 cartridges in 12 years, adding to the four million in the region “saved from going into landfill”. Stating that “paid recycling is working”, Planet Ark collects empty cartridges and returns them to the OEM, which will either reuse or dismantle them.

The company commented that 27 million inkjet cartridges had been saved “from going into landfill” since 2003 across Australia, and that this shows the “advantages of programmes where manufacturers pay for materials to be recycled”. Cartridges collected by the scheme “are sorted and are returned to the manufacturer, depending on their condition”, and the company pointed out that unusable cartridges can yield “aluminium, ferrous metal, stainless steel and more than six different plastic types”.

Other uses for the cartridges include creating material “that strengthens the life of asphalt used on roads, used to make park benches, fencing and garden beds” and to help “create new products such as cartridges, pens and rulers”. Planet Ark’s Recycling Programmes manager, Ryan Collins, commented that “reducing waste generation and keeping materials circulating within the economy would be a priority for everyone in the future”.

The Recycler reported in May 2014 on Planet Ark’s achievement of recycling 30,000 cartridges in Burnie, Tasmania since 2003 through its programme. Canon also reported in September 2014 that it had recycled over six million cartridges through the scheme.

Categories : Around the Industry

Tags : Australia Planet Ark Recycling