Responsible Industry Waste Management Hits Record High - Best Year Ever for Cartridges

News Story 2017

Responsible industry waste management hits record high - Best year ever for ‘Cartridges 4 Planet Ark’

Over the past 12 months (ending 31 March 2017) over 3.5 million cartridges were returned for recycling or remanufacture through ‘Cartridges 4 Planet Ark’ program, which equates to 13,500 cartridges returned every working day. That’s equivalent to 386 bathtubs of cartridges.

This is the highest annual result ever achieved since the program launched in 2003.

This record number is a direct result of the commitment demonstrated by the program partners, especially the participating manufacturers – Brother, Canon, Epson, HP, Konica Minolta and Kyocera. Their participation, in this voluntary product stewardship scheme, has enabled the program to build an extensive collection and processing infrastructure, allowing households and businesses to recycle their cartridges easily.

The other essential elements in the program include:  Close the Loop  Retail collection partners  Workplace collection partners (including businesses, councils, schools, etc).

Throughout this year’s campaign we want to explicitly recognise and thank these partners.

How long has ‘Cartridges 4 Planet Ark’ been running for?

‘Cartridges 4 Planet Ark’ started in 2003, it is celebrating its 15th year.

How many cartridges have been collected via the program?

Total: Over 34 million! OEM total recycling figures are included on the specific OEM pages on Cartridges.PlanetArk.org

Why is it still so important to recycle printer cartridges?

One of the consistently fastest-growing forms of waste is electronic waste. Rapid innovation, decreasing product lifespans and declining prices of both electronics and raw materials have led to more and more items being discarded.

Product stewardship programs like ‘Cartridges 4 Planet Ark’ are essential in moving towards zero waste systems, as they set up the basis for collecting used consumer items and converting them from a waste product into a resource for making new products.

Through ‘Cartridges 4 Planet Ark’, competing manufacturers of printers and copiers have co-operated to take responsibility for their role in this process.

The benefits of C4PA and similar product stewardship programs are that they:

 Boost recycling and prevent the loss of valuable materials;  Create jobs and economic growth;  Showcase new business models such as co-locating businesses that can share resources or “waste” products  Move towards zero-waste;  Reduce greenhouse emissions and environmental impacts.

More than 34 million cartridges, equivalent to over 14,500 tonnes of materials, to be recycled since program began in 2003, recovering commodities like aluminium, steel and over six different plastic types, as well as ink and toner. If they are sent to landfill printer cartridges can take between 450 to 1000 years to break down.

Close the Loop has processed all of these cartridges with zero waste to landfill.

How many printer cartridges still end up in Australian landfills?

Research by Planet Ark in early 2010 found about 50 percent of people are incorrectly disposing of their printer cartridges.

An independent study by Pollinate found 33 percent of people throw their used cartridges into the general waste bin and a further 14 percent throw them in their council provided recycling bin.

Printer cartridges are complex items that are unable to be recycled alongside everyday household waste. When we put the wrong items in a household recycling bin, we contaminate the entire contents of the bin and reduce the effectiveness of the whole recycling process.

Where can I get further information?

For further information about ‘Cartridges 4 Planet Ark contact  Brad Gray, Head of Campaigns on [email protected] or 02 8484 7206 or  Ryan Collins, Recycling Programs Manager on [email protected] or 02 8484 7213