The average cartridge can be recycled multiple times.īy making cartridges out of such sturdy and non-biodegradable components, it guarantees that these cartridges can be reused several times. For instance, San Diego provides resources for businesses to bring small amounts of hazardous waste to the county for proper disposal and threatens fines of up to $25,000 per day if a business gets caught doing otherwise.Ĥ. How counties handle or enforce this may vary. Therefore, even though printer cartridges aren’t specifically identified as banned waste, they fall under this rule. For example, California broadly bans the disposal of flammables – in any form. OSHA’s labeling requirements for printer cartridges mean that they fall under disposal guidelines for many municipal areas. It may be illegal to throw cartridges in the trash depending on the way the laws are written. If not recycled, cartridges will keep accumulating long after landfill space disappears. This means that every single cartridge ever produced since the first laser printer in 1969 still exists. The same study which found that 375 million cartridges are disposed of each year noted that it takes between 450 and 1,000 years for one to break down. In addition to the components comprising toner, the anatomy of a cartridge consists of steel and plastic. Cartridges do not break down in landfills.
Of primary concern here is carbon black, which remains in widespread use despite questions about its carcinogenicity.Ģ. In addition to being flammable, many of the ingredients are known or suspected carcinogens. Due to its chemical composition and behavior, OSHA considers it a flammable article subject to certain treatment. As such, even though it’s not a flammable liquid, it still falls under the labeling requirements. This chemical composition renders it extremely flammable, even explosive under certain conditions. It consists of plastic particles, carbon black, fumed silica, dyes, and charge control agents. Toner is a fine, densely-packed powder which functions like ink.
Many chemicals in toner and ink are hazardous. Here are six reasons why used toner and ink cartridges should never end up in the trash.ġ. It’s an easy way to promote environmental sustainability. Recycling used printer cartridges easily reduce a business’s expenses and carbon footprint. Toner and ink cartridges may be small, but they exact a costly impact to both to the office and the environment. Despite a growing movement to support toner recycling, most still wind up in landfills. That’s well over 700 cartridges per minute. Stop Throwing Toner Cartridges in the TrashĮvery year, offices throw away more than 375 million toner and ink cartridges.