How Do I Dispose Of My Ink Cartridges?

Posted by Adrian Rigby on March 13, 2024

More and more people are looking for ways to contribute to creating a healthier planet for themselves and future generations. This has caused many people to become more conscious of how they dispose of waste, such as ink cartridges.

Ink cartridges are typically made from lots of plastics and other materials which can be harmful to the environment. It is therefore imperative that ink cartridges are disposed of in a safe and responsible way, to help protect our planet.

Read on to find out how best to dispose of ink cartridges, the impact of ink cartridges on the environment, and how and where you can recycle ink cartridges.

How many ink cartridges are sold?

More than 1.1 billion printer cartridges are used around the world, and around 375 million of these end up in landfills, each year. In the UK alone, over 65 million printer cartridges are sold each year, and only an estimated 15% of these are recycled or reused.

Can you bin ink cartridges?

You should never throw ink cartridges in the bin with general waste. It can take up to 1000 years for the plastic contained within the casing of a printer cartridge to decompose.

The inks in printer cartridges can be incredibly toxic to humans, animals and plants. Many ink cartridges contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and heavy metals which pollute soil and water when they reach landfills.

Benefits of recycling ink cartridges

Recycling provides many benefits to our environment. With the threat of global warming growing ever more serious and extreme weather conditions becoming more frequent, steps to protect the environment are rightfully seen as very important.

Recycling ink cartridges helps to reduce the amount of plastic and other materials that end up in landfills, thus minimising pollution. It also saves energy since recycling uses less fuel than producing new cartridges from raw materials.

Recycling ink cartridges is free and easy to do, and it can even help to raise money for charities and community groups.

How to recycle ink cartridges

There are many ways you can recycle your ink cartridges. You can use the Recycle Now website to find out where in your local area accepts ink cartridges for recycling.

Some printer and ink cartridge manufacturers will accept ink cartridges back for recycling. To find out whether your ink cartridge manufacturer or supplier has a recycling scheme, check out their website or contact them.

You can pick up envelopes from Currys and Tesco stores throughout the UK in which you can post a variety of ink cartridges to them for free. Recycling some ink cartridges can even earn you Tesco Clubcard points.

If you want to help a good cause, as well as the planet, then you can choose to donate your ink cartridges to a charity, school or a not-for-profit of your choice. Visit the Recycle4Charity website to request a free postage label or collection box.

AB Cartridges do provide an empty cartridge recycling scheme for cartridges purchased from us. Please contact us 01522 683460 /sales@abcartridges.co.uk