Printing ‘Waste’ (Convenience in disposal)
My dad is proud owner of a second Epson printer… Was a proud owner until the time to buy ink came. He went to the store and found out that the cartridges for this printer are much more expensive than a new better model of Epson printer. Some may argue that printers come with half-empty cartridges; however, this doesn’t apply to Epson. They proudly advertise (and really put) cartridges full of ink. However, every single sales person in BestBuy, London Drugs, FutureShop, Staples said the same thing: more and more people don’t buy ink for printers. They buy new printers, and, of course, they dump the old ones. And when you think of it, it is a huge chunk of plastic that’s not even considered to be biodegradable or anything close to it. So, what should you do?
An article here talks about many ways to recycle printers. Although they talk about HP printers, it is fair to say that their recycling methods apply to all printers. Let’s see…
1. Donate your old HP printers to schools or organizations. This is a great way to recycle printers and help others, besides. Search online for organizations or schools that accept donations of printers, laptops, educational materials or other equipment. Hewlett-Packard has an existing partnership with the National Cristina Foundation, which distributes computers, laptops, printers, printer ink cartridges and other equipment to charities, schools and public agencies in U.S. and Canada.
2. Recycle your old HP Deskjet, Laserjet or Officejet printers. There are many different agencies and organizations within your area that can help you recycle printers. The National Center for Electronics Recycling (NCER) accepts old HP printers and even HP ink cartridges, which are then evaluated and reused or recycled. The NCER’s website also offers tips and lists down the different recycling areas in the U.S.
3. Ask friend or relatives and see if they can use your old HP printers. In most cases, you need to get rid of your old printer, not because it’s busted but because you’ve upgraded to a newer model. If your HP Deskjet or Laserjet is still in good condition, email your friends or relatives and sell it for a very, very low price. You might even want to consider giving it away for free. It’s a much better option than just dumping it in the trash or letting it sit, unused, in your home.
4. Trade in your old HP printers. You can visit the HP website and check for trade-in options in HP centers around the world. HP accepts trade-ins of old printers (even those from other brands) for newer models—all you have to do is send your old printer, add a little cash and voila! You’ve got a brand new, up-to-date HP printer. There are also other websites and shops that offer good deals and trade-ins for old printers, like Staples.
5. Search for websites or junk shops that offer cash for old printers. There are numerous ads in Craigslist that offer different amounts of cash for your old HP printers or even oldink cartridges. Even Hewlett-Packard site can pay your company for old equipment that you no longer want or need. Old printers that are bought are usually refurbished, fixed and either resold at lower prices or donated to charities.
It turns out that Staples and Office Depot have recycling and trade in programs. Why don’t they advertise them? However, it is not too easy: you have to pay $10 dollars to get it recycled or sent to the manufacturer. Surprisingly, Epson itself has a recycling program information about which is nowhere to be found on the box or on the printer itself. Oh, yes, I forgot: the box itself is filled with plastic cushioning that says it is not reusable.
In class we talked about fridges recycling and washers, how it is inconvenient to recycle them: the same applies to printers and especially laser printers toners of which are very hazardous. I think this is a possible business proposition: organize recycling services at certain cost. For example, the consumer would go to a website, apply for pick up of a device (be it fridge or printer) and pay with a card online. He would place the device outside of the house and the company would pick it up. Maybe there will be car emissions concern; however, it may be better than dumped printer. The company could deal with trade-ins (massive trade-ins) or donations to schools or even other countries. I wonder if there is any business like this.