A very simple way to cut down on unnecessary waste in your home is to reuse your ink cartridges. It doesn’t require any extra work you’d have to go to the store to pick up a new one anyway and you actually stand to save yourself a fair whack of money in the process.
In the United States, as an example, estimates suggest that as many as 300 million inkjet printer cartridges end up in landfills every year. This is obviously a huge environmental problem, but don’t blame the manufacturers; they’re eager to get your empty cartridges back, fill them up, and sell them again.
Recycle your cartridges. Environmental organizations and office supply stores will generally accept old cartridges. Some manufactures notably Epson, Canon, and Lexmark will gladly reuse cartridges shipped to them in their original packaging. Some stores will even offer refunds or store credit for your empty cartridges.
Recycle at work. Collect old printer cartridges at the office; they can be reused as well. In fact, if you can accumulate enough of them, some organizations like We Buy Empties will actually pay to collect large quantities of dried-up cartridges.
Bring your cartridges in to be refilled. Even better. It’s no less convenient than going to the store to buy a replacement, and it costs significantly less. Look in your local listings to find a refill company in your area. The trick here is to make sure your cartridge never runs completely dry, or you may need to replace it altogether.
Refill your cartridge yourself. This is by far the best option, if you don’t mind dealing with a little mess. Refill kits generally consisting of a bottle of ink and a syringe will equip you with several refills’ worth of ink for roughly the price of a single pre-filled cartridge. Refill kits are available for both black and colour ink cartridges.
