All About Recycling Printer Cartridges

Printing devices and printers are widespread in modern life. An office workflow is impossible without the use of one or more printers. Enterprises and organizations most often use laser printers. They allow you to print a large number of sheets in a short time. But laser devices are popular not only in office premises; many use this type of printers at home as well.

All laser printers require a cartridge filled with special toner to work. You can use this cartridge several times by refilling the used cartridge with toner. But sooner or later, even high-quality cartridges from well-known manufacturers break and fall into disrepair... In some cases, a service technician is able to repair a cartridge by replacing individual parts with new ones. But it happens that after a long service life and numerous refills, the cartridge cannot be restored. Then the question arises as to how can this kind of waste be disposed of.

Laser print cartridges are classified as III and IV hazard class. Each print cartridge consists of:

• plastics;
• metal;
• toner.

It is strictly forbidden to dispose of old cartridges in the trash bin with household waste. If it ends up in a landfill, the process of decomposition of the plastic cartridge body will take several hundred years. And in the case of igniting debris in the process of burning plastic, toxic substances will enter the atmosphere and soil. Since the composition of the plastic used in the manufacture of the cartridge case contains such hazardous substances as polystyrene, acrid smoke will be released during combustion, which can cause cancer.

Toner inside the cartridge is equally toxic. It contains soot, vinyl acetate, metal oxides. The accumulation of these components in the human body can cause disturbances in the functioning of the lungs, heart, and kidneys. In addition, toner particles are much smaller in size than dust particles, and when inhaled, they will not be released outside by the respiratory system, but will settle on the lungs and bronchi, causing respiratory diseases and severe allergic reactions.

On the territory of the Russian Federation, waste disposal belonging to the III or IV hazard class is carried out on the basis of the law "On production and consumption waste". Based on this regulation, only specialized organizations. To carry out such activities, a hazardous waste disposal company is issued a license. These can be either separately registered enterprises that are directly involved in recycling, or firms that sell office equipment.

In the first case for the provision of recycling services by a specialized company, a separate contract for the provision of services will be required and additional financial expenses.

The process of recycling failed cartridges is carried out in two ways.

• Processing... With this method, damaged cartridges are sent to a processing plant, where they are cleaned of contamination, worn parts are changed and refilled.
• Thermal and mechanical decomposition... This is how the cartridges are disposed of, which cannot be recovered. The plastic and metal from which the body is made are crushed and remelted to obtain recyclable materials. Remaining toner is subject to thermal shock at 1000 ° C. Exposure to high temperatures prevents corrosive substances from being released into the atmosphere and contaminating it.

Not only firms, enterprises and organizations, but also individuals should properly dispose of used cartridges. To resolve the issue of disposal of cartridges by a legal entity, an enterprise or organization that uses devices with cassettes in their work must have an agreement with a specialized organization. If a cartridge from a laser printer, for one reason or another, cannot be restored and refilled with toner, then the person responsible for transferring the cartridge for recycling should perform the following actions:

• to collect a commission, whose members will sign an act on the impossibility of further use of the removable device;
• ensure the storage of the out of order cassette until the moment when it is picked up by a representative of the recycling company;
• call an employee of the company engaged in the recycling of cartridges;
• sign the act of acceptance and transfer of the cassette for processing;
• submit the received documents to the accounting department of the company to write off the cartridge transferred for disposal.

Legal entities should take seriously the issue of disposing of replacement cassettes for laser printers. In case of non-observance of the specified norms of disposal together with household waste, when this fact is revealed, a fine of up to 250 thousand rubles may be imposed on the company. If you use a laser printer at home, then you should not throw the cartridge into the trash can either. In case of identification of the cartridge belonging to an individual, a fine of up to 20 thousand rubles may be imposed.

In the event that a legal entity or individual does not know where to put a faulty replacement cassette, then information about companies involved in the disposal of such waste can be obtained from the sellerwho sells laser printers or a service center that specializes in servicing, repairing, and refilling toner. And also more detailed information on disposal can be obtained directly at website of the organizationengaged in processing. In different cities, such organizations have different names.

The following video provides more information on recycling printer cartridges.