How To Go Green Tip #4: Recycle Toner Cartridges
Saturday, September 3rd, 2011Approximately 97% of the combined components in toners (plastic, metal, rubber, paper, foam, and toner) can be recycled. Now, here’s the scary part…
If toners are NOT recycled, the plastic, made of engineering- grade polymers, takes at least 1,000 years to decompose!
Currently, as many as 60 million “all-in-one” toner cartridges are bought annually in the U.S. Worldwide, 150 million per year. Combine that with 400 million inkjet cartridges and you can begin to imagine the amount of waste generated from cartridges that don’t get recycled.
Start a Going Green Trend!
Unfortunately, only 25% of toner cartridges purchased are getting recycled and remanufactured. So, it’s time to start a trend and lead by example!
When you recycle toner cartridges, you are helping to keep non-biodegradable material, such as plastic, steel, aluminum, and rubber out of landfills. You are also conserving the equivalent of three quarts of oil per cartridge!
Plastic is an environmental hazard and its use should be minimized. It takes many years to decompose and is already an environmental concern in many countries. The recycling of toner cartridges will save thousands of tons of metal and plastic from getting into landfills.
Here is the best part: Office Depot provides FREE return boxes for your empty cartridges and picks them up from your office. Furthermore, for every empty toner/ink cartridge returned to an Office Depot store, you receive a $2 credit to your Rewards Card which can be used like cash when you shop at the store or online. How simple is that to do the right thing?
Should you decide to return your toner cartridges to an Office Depot Store, don’t forget to bring your Power Purchasing Card. This card will enable you to get unbeatable savings when shopping in-store! Want to start saving today? Sign up with Power Purchasing today and receive FREE discounts all year long!
How To Go Green Tip #3: Use Remanufactured Toners
Saturday, September 3rd, 2011
Another super easy way to begin your “going green” initiative is to use remanufactured toners whenever possible. This doesn’t require any additional effort, it will help save the environment and will definitely save you some green! In fact, the difference in price when using remanufactured vs original equipment manufacturer’s cartridges (OEM) is 45%!
Remanufactured toners:
- Minimize the disposal of these materials
- Conserve natural resources by eliminating the need for virgin materials
- Save energy in the remanufacturing process
Remanufactured toners and inkjet cartridges offer advantages over new cartridges in cost, waste reduction, and sometimes even in product quality. Our sources fill, inspect and test each of their products, greatly improving the paper yield and quality. You’re getting the same product, protecting the environment and saving some green. There are some common misperceptions about using remanufactured toners, so just to clarify:
Remanufacturers DO NOT just replace the toner in the cartridges.
Professional remanufacturers replace every worn or damaged component in the cartridges. Imaging Drums (OPC Drums), the most critical components for quality performance, are cleaned, tested or usually replaced.
Remanufacturers DO NOT reuse Toner in their cartridges.
If they did, then none of the cartridges would work! Toner becomes contaminated during the printing process by paper dust and electrical charges rendering it unusable. Every different Manufacturer’s cartridge model also requires different toner formulation. Combining contaminated toners would compound problems.
Defective Toner cartridges DO NOT damage printers.
Properly remanufactured cartridges do not damage printers or create more wear than cartridges that are properly assembled by or for printer makers. Removing toner deposits is often part of routine maintenance for the printer.
Remanufactured cartridges are NOT inferior to manufacturer originals.
There is no difference in quality or printed output between the OEM cartridges and a remanufactured cartridge. However, there are significant savings in price and a significant benefit to the environment. In addition to the regular savings for using remanufactured cartridges, Power Purchasing offers additional discounts on over 40 of the most popular ink and toner cartridges!
Use of Remanufactured Cartridges will NOT void your Printer Warranty.
According to the American fair trade laws, the original equipment manufacturers are not allowed to void your printer warranty for using compatible or remanufactured toner or ink cartridges. HP even has this information very clearly displayed on their website.
If you’re still paying top dollar for printer cartridges and toner, STOP! You’re robbing your own business by not realizing the savings that you could have by easily joining Power Purchasing and receiving a customized savings program. With our savings programs, you can receive discounts on office supplies, uniforms and logo apparel, promotional products, payroll services, and more!
Sign up now to start saving today!
How To Go Green Tip #2: Recycle Paper
Saturday, September 3rd, 2011
Did you know that American’s discard 4 million TONS of office paper every year? Recycling just one stack of paper about 6 feet tall can save the life of a 35 foot tall tree that has taken many years to grow.
For every sheet of new paper used, trees must be destroyed. Trees are among the world’s most valuable resources and loss of these trees can result in the loss of precious wildlife’s habitat. Trees take years to grow, while paper is usually tossed away after quick use. However, we can easily prevent this loss of trees by something as simple as recycling paper.
Going green can be done in a few simple steps – all it takes is for you to dispose of your paper into the recycling bin as opposed to the trash can. This will help you to:
- Save our valuable natural resources
- Save energy
- Save our trees
- Create less toxic bi-products
- Add less waste to our over-crowded landfills
In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency has found that recycling paper causes 35% less water pollution and 74% less air pollution. So, now that you see the benefits, one of the first steps to your green initiative should be recycling paper whenever possible (see the impact of your paper use).
To assist you with your efforts to go green while saving green, Power Purchasing members receive lower contract pricing on printer paper with the following certifications:
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative
- Forest Stewardship Council
- GreenSeal®
On a side note, did you know that you can get your first year’s membership for FREE when you join the PowerAdvantageTM Program? With your Power Purchasing savings program, you’ll also have access to Office Depot® discounts, ADP® Payroll Services discounts, and more! Sign up today!
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