America Recycles Day, on November 15, is the only nationally recognized day dedicated to the promotion of recycling programs in the United States. “With more than 350 million ink cartridges discarded in North American landfills each year, the impact that refilling these cartridges can have is huge,” said Susan Cowperthwaite owner of Cartridge World – Lakewood. “Our goal is to raise awareness about the importance of recycling in general, and the potential positive impact that refilling ink and toner cartridges specifically can have on our local and national environment.” The numbers tell the story:
- Almost eight ink or toner cartridges are thrown away per second in the U.S. alone!
- Seventy percent of used printer cartridges throughout the world are currently being thrown out.
- The number of cartridges discarded worldwide in one year, placed end-to-end, would circle the globe three times
“These statistics are about more than waste,” says Cowperthwaite. “They represent a serious threat to our environment as well. Each time we remanufacture a laser cartridge, we keep nearly 2.5 pounds of metal and plastic out of our local landfills. When you think about the fact that a laser cartridge can take up to 450 years to decompose in a landfill, and
that some of the components can take more than a thousand years to break down, it just makes sense to refill your used cartridges.”
For more details, contact your nearest Cartridge World store: Cartridge World – Lakewood located at 6020-A Main St. SW at 253-582-0300.