from :wikipedia

Many programs have been implemented in the United States and Europe to encourage the recycling of ink cartridges. New York has implemented a recycling law for businesses and consumers regarding toner and ink cartridges. In California the Public Contract Code (PCC) section 12156 encourages businesses to purchase recycled ink and toner cartridges.

The list below outlines a few facts about toner/ink cartridges and the impact they have on the environment.

• GHGs (green house gases) emissions from manufacturing a single mono toner cartridge have been calculated to approximately 4.8 kg CO2; per cartridge. This is for the cartridge only and excludes the toner inside. The Life Cycle Assessment of toner reveals that the GHG emissions are approximatly 16 metric tons per 1 metric ton toner produced. On average a cartridge with a yield of 5000 pages contains 200 grams toner. This equals 3.2 kg CO2 emission per cartridge.

• Each year over 350 million cartridges are thrown out to landfills.

• By 2012 500 million laser cartridges and 1.8 billion ink cartridges will be dumped in landfills.

• Each cartridge becomes 3.5 pounds of solid waste sitting in a landfill and can take up to 450 to 1000 years to decompose.

Almost all inkjet cartridges can either be refilled or remanufactured. Refilling your own ink cartridge can help to reduce your running costs, it also helps the environment by reducing the number of cartridges that go to landfill. Every year millions of empty printer cartridges are needlessly thrown away often going to UK landfill sites near you! Here are a few good reasons why it is so important to “refill and re-use” rather than disposing of your cartridge to landfill.

1 Over 45 million cartridges go into UK landfill sites each year.

2 That’s enough to cover Old Trafford football pitch 17 times or build a second Blackpool Tower!

3 Cover the Humber Bridge 3 times! (2,220m x 28.5m)

4 Build a replica of the Tyne Bridge! (396m x 17m)

5 Stretch the length of Hadrian's Wall! (73 miles) 15 times

6 Each cartridge thrown into landfill can take up to 1000 years to decompose.