Australians use over 3 million print cartridges each year, and the majority end up in landfill. But, Cartridge Rescue, with the help of Corporate Express, has spearheaded a campaign to stop this disastrous environmental trend.
Cartridge Rescue, as one of the largest recyclers of print cartridges in the Southern Hemisphere, is committed to rescuing and reusing print cartridges from offices all over Australia.
Jackie Russin runs the Cartridge Rescue program and said that with the help of Corporate Express, Australian businesses have recycled over 2 million cartridges since 2000.
"This equates to approximately 400 shipping containers of cartridges that have been kept out of landfill and a million kilos of plastic that has been recycled," Russin said.
Corporate Express is acutely aware of its environmental responsibilities. National Procurement Manager Angela El-Tahche said their customers recycle approx 15, 000 cartridges per month.
"Our partnership with Cartridge Rescue allows our customers to contribute to a cleaner Australia," El-Tahche said.
"Businesses today recognise the benefits of being environmentally responsible and it is now standard practice to integrate both economic and environmental considerations into business practices. The Cartridge Rescue program enables our customers to do just that.
"While participation is environmentally smart it is also extremely easy and cost saving for businesses. It not only saves the environment, but saves money, as we reimburse customers for the cartridges they return.
"Our customers collect their used cartridges from around the office and Cartridge Rescue collects them free of charge. Customers are then sent a cheque for the cartridges they have returned," she said.
Russin hopes the Cartridge Rescue program will increase the number of cartridges recycled as more businesses become aware of the reuse / recycle mandate.
"In this digital age, many businesses are still unaware that print cartridges can be reused many times before they need to be disassembled and recycled. A used cartridge is not waste. It just needs to be re-built, re-charged or re-filled so that it can continue being used," Russin said.
"Environmental friendly practices, such as cartridge recycling, are becoming increasingly popular within Australian offices as companies become aware of their responsibility to the environment and its continued protection," she said.
Corporate Express supplies premium re-manufactured cartridges such as the Corporate Express EXP brand. These products are environmentally friendly as they are made from pre-existing cartridges and when manufactured use up to 20 times less energy than ordinary cartridges.
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Toner Recycling Program – How this program operates:
1. Order a used Cartridge Collection Carton from Corporate Express with your next order. Our re-order code is 86661340. This is a no-charge item.
2. Use the carton to store your empty cartridges.
3. Once you have a minimum of 10 empty cartridges, call Cartridge Rescue™ Toll-Free on 1800 628 854 to book a collection online or visit www.cartridgerescue.com.au
4. Your used cartridges will be collected and returned to Cartridge Rescue™ at no cost to you.
Warning: The business of collecting empty toner cartridges for remanufacturing is becoming increasingly competitive. We have been informed that some engaged in this process practice unethical and misleading methods of cartridge collection, including falsely claiming a portion of the benefits from cartridges collected will be donated to charity or used to fund job creation schemes. There are, of course, other legitimate collectors who do donate proceeds to various worthy causes. If you are in doubt as to the claims made by, or authenticity of, anyone representing a collection company, ask for suitable identification before admitting access, or please contact us.
