How to Recycle Printer Ink Cartridges

Guidelines in the Use of Recycling Number

The Society of the Plastics Industry in cooperation with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) agreed on the following guidelines in using the code:

*This complies with the laws in 39 states wherein the code must be used on bottles and rigid containers
*This is used to identify resin (a type of plastic) content only.
*The code, while it helps in waste management and recycling activities, must not be conspicuous so as to affect sales of a product
*The code must, in any way, never be altered
*No additional markings such as "recyclable" may be placed near the symbol, nor should there be any claims of any products recyclability placed anywhere near it.
*The ½" symbol, whenever it would fit, must be molded or permanently imprinted on all gallon containers from 8 ounce to 5 gallon capacity
Placement of the symbol must be as close to the center of the container bottom

To help you recycle efficiently, below are the 6 different symbols that are helpful in creating your own household waste management and the description of plastic items that are good for recycling.

1 PET (or PETE) - Poly(ethylene terephthalate) PET is a clear, and tough resin that can contain gas and moisture. These are commonly used in bottles and other injection molded product containers. This resin is a good candidate for recycling as they come in great volumes in waste management systems, in the form of bottles for beverages, catsup, beer, jams, peanut butter, etc. Major industries recycle these for major uses such as textiles, carpet, films, and moldings.

2 HDPE - High-density Polyethylene - HDPE commonly found in may types of plastic bottles. Its high resistance to chemicals makes it the preferred material for packaging household and industrial material such as detergents, conditioner, shampoo, bleach, etc. Proper waste disposal, i.e., segregating, would have these items for recycling and become plastic shopping bags, wire and cable covering, re-usable shipping containers, etc.

3V Poly (vinyl cloride) - commonly known as PVC, these are categorized into two groups, namely, rigid and flexible materials. While used containers made from these are also highly sought for recycling, these have many industrial and household uses. Example of PVC "rigid materials" are blister packs, pipes, window frames, siding, and clamshells. Example of PVC "flexible materials" are seat covers, clear medical tubing, deli and meat wrap, etc.

4 LDPE - Low-density Polyethylene - commonly found in film application uses because of its toughness, it is relatively transparent and flexible. Example of uses are wrapping films, your everyday plastic grocery or shopping bags, etc.

5 PP - Polypropylene - this is good for containing very hot fluids as it has very good chemical resistance and is a strong material. A very good example would be Tupperware products (which have their own recycling system), diapers, bottle caps and closures, etc.

6 PS - Polystyrene - this is a very versatile plastic material that can either be rigid or foamed. Examples are coffee cups, bakery shells, Styrofoam insulation, etc. Polystyrene can also be combined with rubber to produce high impact polystyrene, which is good for uses that require toughness.

7 OTHER - this means that the package is made up of a resin type that is not included in any of the above-mentioned six, or it usually is a package that contains a combination of the previously mentioned codes. These are mostly packages that have been products of previous recycling.

At PrintCountry, we care about the environment. That is why we've instated a recycling program that takes your used or empty printer cartridges and disposes of them properly. We want to do our best to help prevent further harm to our environment through educating our customers about the necessity of recycling printer inkjet and laser toner cartridges.

Although, currently the U.S. recycles 28% of its waste - a rate that has almost doubled in the past 15 years, only 5% of empty printer cartridges are being recycled. This is terrible news for future generations as 95% of printer cartridges are discarded and end up in landfills.

Not to mention the fact that the lack of printer cartridge recycling is costing tax-payers more and more money. Printer cartridge users such as schools and businesses are adding millions of tons of waste each year to our overflowing landfills.

What you can do to help

You can make a difference in the wellbeing of the environment and the preservation of future generations by simply recycling your empty inkjet and laser toner cartridges. We enclose a prepaid recycle pouch with all PrintCountry orders containing eligible cartridges. Simply return the empty cartridges to us and we will ensure that they are reconditioned for future use or disposed of in a proper manner*.