It is estimated that in the UK there are 24 million homes with a personal computer, and of those 90% will have a printer. On average each printer will consume 2-3 inkjet cartridges each year, with offices using considerably more. Yet only 15% of the 65 million cartridges sold in the UK each year go on to be recycled, with the remainder ending up in landfill. With the plastic used in this type of cartridge taking up to 1,000 years to decompose, this is incredibly bad news for the environment. Did You Know?
- Globally we use more than 1.1 billion ink jet cartridges annually. If you laid those end to end it would be 129 times as long as the Great Wall of China.
- A used cartridge can be recycled or remanufactured up to 7 times. That is 7 fewer cartridges going into landfill.
Well now it is possible to not only protect the environment, but also save lives at the same time. The ‘Empties Please’ ink cartridge recycling scheme helps you to raise money for your favourite causes, whilst becoming greener. This scheme is open to:
- Friends and family
- Schools
- Businesses
- Clubs
- Charities
The best thing about the scheme is that it is so easy to take part in. You will be provided with a recycling bin for your cartridges and all you have to do is encourage friends, family, neighbours and colleagues to help you fill your bin. Once it is almost full, simply let them know and they will arrange for collection free of charge. Once the contents of your bin have been assessed you will receive £1 for every new cartridge and 50p for every remanufactured cartridge, with payment going directly to the good cause of your choosing. We know that for many of you there is a certain level of uncertainty surrounding how best to dispose of your used print cartridges, so what better way to do it than to raise money for charity whilst saving the environment! If you would like to find out more about the scheme, please visit www.emptiesplease.com. 