Kansas Green Guide Your Bi-Weekly Guide to Sustainable Living

Green Team Feature: InkCycle Dec. 9, 2011

Every year, more than 300 million plastic printer cartridges end up dumped in landfills in the United States and around the world with almost eight cartridges thrown away in the United States every second. Remanufacturing cartridges is a way to reduce the amount of waste going to our landfills. InkCycle is a company that specializes in remanufacturing inkjet and toner cartridges. InkCycle operates out of two locations in the Kansas City area and employs more than 300 people. They are a wholesale company, so they provide their cartridges through both national retailers and office products dealer distribution channels. InkCycle collects used cartridges from consumers and businesses and then refills them so they can used again. Toner (powder form) is used in laser printers and liquid ink is for inkjet printers. Here is the basic process: 1. Incoming materials Each cartridge goes through a visual inspection and the circuits are tested to verify they are still operational. 2. Recycle All used packaging materials and any cartridges that are unable to be remanufactured are recycled. Cartridges unable to be used are sent to be remanufactured into parking lot blocks. 3. Cleaning & Preparation Technicians clean and empty each cartridge of remaining waste ink and prepare cartridges for filling. The waste water is treated on site with InkCycles waste water treatment system so that all ink and toxins are removed from the water. The picture to the right shows how the water is treated from beginning to end. 4. Filling & Sealing Each cartridge is filled according to the standards of the original manufacturer with specially formulated ink and are sealed. 5. Testing Each cartridge is tested to ensure performance and quality. A quality control laboratory has printers of all makes and models to test cartridges on. All printer paper that has been used in the lab is then sent to the administrative offices printing on the other side. 6. Packaging Cartridges are cleaned and sealed. Grenk products are bagged in a new oxygen-degradable polyethylene film that begins degrading in months instead of hundreds of years like standard bags. They are boxed in recycled material boxes and are shipped using air pillows which reduce the amount of packaging waste. InkCycles commitment to the environment has been recognized by the EPAs WasteWise program, a voluntary program that encourages an environmental footprint reduction from member companies. To achieve partner status, a company must show a reduction in their footprint utilizing innovative processes and well-managed materials management practices. They were also honored at Recharger Magazines Readers Choice Awards with the Recharger Green Award. The Recharger Green Award is presented to the company that industry subscribers recognize as offering environmentally conscious products and demonstrating a proven commitment to sustainability and green business practices.
Dissemination of [Kansas Green Guide/Other publications] by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, a governmental agency, is solely for the non-commercial purpose of informing and educating the public. References to specific companies do not constitute a KDHE endorsement. If you have any questions, please contact the Bureau of Waste Management, at info@kansasgreenteams.org. Kansas Green Guide Dec. 9, 2011