Refill Own Ink Cartridges

Just in Canada alone, millions of new ink cartridges for home and business printers are purchased each year. After some research, I was amazed to learn that in Canada, less than 5% of the millions of cartridges are ever recycled.

I never really thought about the materials required to make an ink cartridge, but what I discovered is that it takes at least 2 ounces of oil to produce a new inkjet cartridge, and the plastic used in many cartridges takes centuries to decompose. When I thought of the millions of ink cartridges being sent to landfill sites each year around the world, it was mind boggling!

The difference in the cost of refilling your ink cartridge and buying a new ink cartridge is amazing. You can refill the cartridge much cheaper than you can buy a new one. From what I have been told, a cartridge can be filled at least two times before they wear out. So if this is true, why are more people not recycling their old print cartridges? One of the reasons may be due to the fact that some manufacturers of printers will not honor your warranty if you use refills vs. their new cartridges.

I also found out there are many organizations in Canada and the US that will take empty cartridges and recycle them. One example in Canada is the Canadian Diabetes Association. They now have a program called Diabetes Recycle Ink. In the US, there are similar organizations, and some that actually pay you to send your empty ink cartridges to them.

My own personal printer is many years old and the warranty has long expired. So, I am using a refilled ink cartridge for my printer, and, it works great!