It is time for environmentalists to wake-up............

[Paul Verizzo]

While America often has different definitions or spellings to words to how they are used in England. I think you will find you are the only American that has its own definition to what the word "recycle" means.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/recycle

In fact CANON USA probably have more recycling and enviromental schemes than the prior links i gave...

http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/about...ous_programs#EnvironmentallyConsciousPrograms

To continue to insist they do not is a tad silly. I have a feeling based on your contribution thus far though this information will not stop you arguing your flawed beliefs though.

OK, per your link, duly chastised.

But isn't it odd that a Canon user/fan of 15 years has never run across this information? Odd, to say the least.

But getting to "The rest of the story," (Old USA radio announcer phrase), what could Canon possibly do with these cartridges? Unlike the HP head built into cartridges, they have a negative value. There is absolutely no way they can economically recycle them. When factories in China can produce them, ship them to US resellers, and then the latter can sell them for less than $1 a piece, chip included, what is Canon's position?

The plastic is worth nothing, the wadding in the cartridges and the remnant ink contaminates everything.

Until I find evidence otherwise, I will presume that this is a feel good, "Look at us!" measure and that the cartridges are just ground up and sent somewhere.

 

[CakeHole]

......Until I find evidence otherwise, I will presume that this is a feel good, "Look at us!" measure and that the cartridges are just ground up and sent somewhere.

I doubt many inkjet carts get reused/refilled the time it would take as i mentioned earlier in the thread to wash them out, take them apart, replace the sponge inside etc would not be worth it.

Toner carts may be another story (IE empty powder, clean refill)

I imagine the plastic is used in a lot of things from that plastic/rubber layer you see in kids playgrounds near the swings, roundabouts etc to being ground up and then used in plastic packaging. Or to make plastic bags (thats what a lot of recycled plastic ends up as).

Plastic and "recycling" be it if you are reusing the carts yourself or its a printer manufacturer grinding them up is a bit of a joke anyway, something that does not degrade like plastic for centuries and the environment is a contradiction in terms right from the off.

If anyone cares about the planet that much they would not be buying things like chemically made ink and plastics in the first place.

 

[Paul Verizzo]

Refilling/recyling carts with the head built in makes lots of sense. It's been going on for years. There are videos online showing companies doing this.

It's when you get into cartridges like the Canon that there is no value. The playground material is not styrene, it's old tires, I'd bet. Plastics of all types, solid and film are only easily recycled if uncontaminated by foodstuffs, oils, or certainly, dyes and wadding.

 

[CakeHole]

Refilling/recyling carts with the head built in makes lots of sense. It's been going on for years. There are videos online showing companies doing this.

Indeed but those are small organisations doing a few thousand at most carts not millions like Canon, Epson etc would need to be doing. Id also personally avoid any refilled cart, you do not know what ink has been used, if the carts were cleaned etc first and cheap third party stuff (and supermarket own brand carts here in the UK) rarely have a chip which functions. IT also comes back to something that is bad for the environment in the first place, by that i mean you have to have the things made in the first place and have millions of them to refill.

It's when you get into cartridges like the Canon that there is no value. The playground material is not styrene, it's old tires, I'd bet. Plastics of all types, solid and film are only easily recycled if uncontaminated by foodstuffs, oils, or certainly, dyes and wadding.

Your typical playground surface is indeed old tyres, but there are indeed variations that contain PET and other plastics. Here in the UK plastic chipping also now goes into road surfaces.

Theres so much more you can do with ground up plastic, from bottles your milk and carbonated drinks comes in to more than likely making the cases actual printers are made of today.

Theres far more you can do by grinding up millions of old carts than there is any chance of (remember this is for millions) refilling, selling, refilling, selling (repeat) over and over.