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Today HP tell us how to safely recycle their ink cartridges in a safe and eco-friendly manner.
Can I Recycle My HP Ink Cartridges?
Yes! It is indeed great news that HP has developed a standard for managing hardware that has reached the end of its useful life. In this way, the company is ensuring that hardware is responsibly recovered, reused and recycled. HP collects its used products for both recycling and resale in over sixty countries worldwide. This initiative makes it even easier for loyal users of their products to do their part in saving the planet through recycling.
While it is possible to simply throw away your used ink cartridges, there are other attractive options available. For instance, one option would be to return your empty cartridges to wholesale and office supply stores, which helps the environment as well as enabling you to benefit from in-store discounts. From here, the stores will return the ink cartridges to HP which operates a number of global recycling plants. At these plants, empty ink cartridges are torn down into the component pieces which may then be used in the construction of new ones. This helps to solve the problem of waste ink cartridges that could pollute the environment.
During the recycling process, your ink cartridge will undergo 3 stages during which they are de-transformed into raw materials that are useful. While humans are involved at every step of the process, most of it is highly automated.
Receiving Your Ink Cartridge
The first step is for HP to actually receive your cartridge in house from the office supply store or wholesale shop that you handed it over to. HP will then perform advanced sorting on the cartridges once they arrive at their receiving area.
Sorting Your Ink Cartridges
While some of the sorting can be performed by employees working in receiving, most may be carried out through elaborate automatic or semi-manual methods. After the preliminary sorting, all eligible cartridges will be sent directly to the automatic sorting machine which can sort tens of thousands of cartridges every hour.
Recycling
There are 3 different methods that are used to take the ink cartridges apart. The first is shredding using a conveyer to mechanically separate the components and then rip them apart. More complex cartridges will go through a more complicated disassembly process that recovers 50% more plastic than the shredding process. Ink cartridges which have a more unusual, oblong-shaped design and large labels are unable to undergo the above disassembly procedures and are therefore manually “demanufactured” by an assembly worker.
For over 30 years, HP has been recycling hardware and has recovered billions of pounds of products both for recycling and reuse. The company recycles products that are no longer suitable for reuse, thereby producing raw materials that may be used in the manufacture of new cartridges and other plastic and metal products. HP’s remanufacturing programs are designed to reduce environmental impact, as well as make IT equipment accessible to more people. HP’s Planet Partners Recycling Program provides HP customers with all the information they require in recycling their computer hardware or HP printing supplies.
