What are the environmental benefits of using remanufactured cartridges?

Think green and save green

Each year over 500 million laser and inkjet printer cartridges are consumed. On average, each laser cartridge contain 2.5 pounds of plastic and one pound of metal, while inkjet cartridges contain a half pound of plastic. Less than 25% of these cartridges are recycled. On average, three quarts of oil are burned to make each new cartridge. In addition, the plastic used in a typical cartridge is industrial grade and takes approximately 1,000 years to decompose. OEM's have developed some recycling programs, but they are of limited benefit compared to buying remanufactured. According to HP's own documentation, "[HP Laserjet] toner cartridges are newly manufactured to its own specifications and contain an average of 7% or less of recycled content (non-critical parts) across the entire line."* In contrast, the average remanufacturing facility saves over 4,000 cartridges per year from landfills. Stacked one on top of another, those cartridges recycled by one remanufacturer would be taller than the Empire State building. * As an industry, remanufacturers conserve more oil each month than was spilled by the Exxon Valdez in 1989.* State governments such as New York, California, Texas, and North Carolina have observed the impact of single-use laser cartridges in the landfills and have legislated the use of remanufactured toner and inkjet cartridges in state executive agencies. If you care about the world your children will inherit, if you want to protect the beauty of nature, or if you simply want to produce less garbage, buy remanufactured. * Recharger Magazine, March 2002.

What is a remanufactured cartridge?