Recycling printer cartridges is ‘environmentally sound’

The practice of recycling printer cartridges is comparable in its environmental benefits to that of re-manufacturing them, according to HP.

In a letter to TechWorld magazine, the printer supplies company said that although "re-manufacturers point to the reduce-reuse-recycle waste hierarchy" and claim their practice is greener, their environmental records do not back up the claim.

Scott Canonico, HP‘s manager of public policy, cited evidence from an InfoTrends survey which suggested that "most" re-manufacturers do not want their own printer cartridges returned to them.

"Instead, they want OEM-branded cartridges that were not previously re-manufactured, also known in the industry as virgin cores or hulks," he said.

He also mentioned that "transparent and public reporting" of the environmental record of re-manufacturers of printer cartridges was unavailable.

Mr Canonico remarked that the recycling of 54 per cent of first-use laser printer cartridges – taken from InfoTrends data – represents "a resounding environmental success story".

"We’re proud of our environmental performance and are always working to further increase participation in our recycling programmes," he added.

HP, which manufactures office equipment such as printers, launched its Planet Partners scheme in 1991.

This programme offers recycling of printer cartridges and other products free of charge within 45 countries worldwide.

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