Disposal and recycling of cartridges from printers and multifunction devices. Recycling laser cartridges

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The printer is an indispensable element Everyday life and a reliable assistant in the office and at home. It will help you print a contract, invoice, balance sheet, thesis, dissertation or regular photograph. When a laser printer cartridge reaches the end of its life, it must be remanufactured or completely recycled in an environmentally friendly manner.

Methods for recycling laser cartridges

A used laser printer cartridge can be refilled 3-4 times, after which it should be fully serviced with the replacement of worn parts (restoration). Before the laser cartridge is completely worn out, it can withstand 9-16 refills and 3-4 refills. After this, it must be disposed of in a safe manner.

During the process of remanufacturing laser cartridges, they are thoroughly cleaned, worn parts are replaced, toner is refilled, and they are sold in packaging from a recycler.

Remanufacturing of laser cartridges is carried out by both global manufacturers of consumables and small private companies. You can restore a used cartridge yourself, but if you do not do it carefully, you risk damaging the printer. Therefore, when you restore laser cartridges yourself, you act at your own peril and risk.

Remanufactured cartridges are much cheaper than new ones original cartridges, since their customers do not have to pay for the brand.

Stages of laser cartridge restoration

Some large recycling companies, along with batches of remanufactured cartridges, hand over special containers to wholesale buyers for their storage and transportation for the next processing. Storing laser cartridges in sealed containers prevents toner microparticles from circulating in the air in the room in which they are stored.

Current legislation prohibits throwing used laser cartridges into public trash cans, since the plastic from which they are made takes about 200 years to decompose. Therefore, completely worn out laser cartridges must be recycled in an environmentally friendly manner.

Stages of complete recycling of laser cartridges

During complete recycling, laser cartridges are sorted, cleaned of toner, vacuumed, and separated into plastic and metal components. The plastic body of the cartridge is melted down, resulting in 1 kg of plastic. Most cartridges can be remelted up to 6 times.

Recycled plastic is used to make new cartridges and other consumer products. In Australia, recycled plastic was used to make a high-quality coating for an 18 km long bicycle path.

The Australian company Close the Loop makes protective fences, fittings and soundproofing materials from melted laser cartridge casings.

Toner extracted from used laser cartridges is melted at a temperature of 1000°C.

Influenced high temperature the bonds of the toner elements are destroyed and it breaks down into non-toxic components. Thermal recycling of toner completely eliminates the release of harmful substances into the atmosphere.

Australian recycling company Close the Loop has learned how to make black dye from leftover toner recovered from laser cartridges. Some recycling companies make generic brands of toner from leftover toner.

People have been using printers for several decades, so such a piece of office equipment is in every office, but not everyone thinks about the fact that every cartridge thrown into a landfill heavily pollutes the environment.

A cartridge is a replaceable toner container used in laser printers. If the ink runs out, you just need to install a new consumable, and you can continue to enjoy all the conveniences of using the printer. But what fate awaits the used cartridge? Dump?

It would take hundreds of years for a cartridge to degrade naturally, which means none of them have decomposed yet. And with more than 500 million cartridges thrown away around the world every year, this is becoming an important environmental issue.

In Russia ecological situation is also deplorable: 7-10 billion tons are formed every year solid waste, of which only 25% can be recycled, and no more than 1% is actually recycled! According to official sources, over 80 billion tons of solid waste have already accumulated in our country.

1% Really recyclable waste

25% Recyclable waste

The annual amount of solid waste in Russia is >7 billion tons

What usually happens to used cartridges?

"Why not just throw it away? trash can? It looks harmless; there are no large icons indicating its danger on the body. Although there seem to be companies that buy used cartridges, you have to look for them. Or just put it in the pantry until better times, and then we’ll figure it out?”

Such thoughts often arise when the toner in the cartridge has run out. Moreover, if we are talking about a company or budgetary organization, the count can go into tens. So why can't they just be thrown into a landfill?

Why is it dangerous to throw cartridges in the trash?

Used cartridges are harmful to the environment. They are mainly composed of plastic, which is difficult to decompose in normal conditions it takes about 300 years. They throw them away in huge quantities, since they are now printed almost everywhere. But the option when they simply lie in a landfill for the allotted time is not the worst. Most often, garbage is set on fire, which releases polystyrene (a component of the plastic casing) into the air. a large number of harmful substances. For them to not pose a threat, the combustion temperature must be around 1000 degrees Celsius, which cannot be achieved without special equipment.

Cartridges are harmful not only because of the plastic. Some of the toner remains in them. It may include harmful substances (carbon black and/or magnetite, ethylene copolymers, vinyl acetate, magnetic additives Fe2O3, aluminum oxide, titanium dioxide), but even without them it is dangerous due to the very small particle sizes. Toner granules are microscopically small: their size is no more than 3-4 microns (which is about 10 times smaller than ordinary dust!). Few people know, but toner is also a volatile substance.

As a rule, ordinary dust, entering the body, is enveloped in mucus and is expelled with a cough. Due to its size, toner is not identified by our body and is never excreted. It can settle on the surface of the lungs and bronchi, reducing the working surface of the lungs. In case of systematic entry of toner into the body, the situation is fraught with the occurrence of chronic diseases. So making a warehouse of printer consumables near your workplace or refilling cartridges in the office is not the best idea.

If a person experiences breathing problems, allergies, or other symptoms when working near a printer, it’s time to check the condition of the printing device and do a general cleaning of the workplace.

Throw away or return used cartridges?

The most popular solution to the problem is to lightly move your hand towards the trash can. However, think about how many consumables end up in landfills every year? You can’t even imagine how harmful the heavy metals present in the cartridges have on our planet during the entire decomposition period.

What is recycling of cartridges (office equipment) from a legal point of view?

Cartridges are classified as municipal solid waste III-IV hazard class. For proper disposal, you must order a waste passport, in which it will be assigned an exact hazard class. After this, it must be handed over to a recycling company, which must have the appropriate state license, pay for their services and receive a recycling certificate. Only then will the disposal of printer cartridges be considered correctly completed (regulated by the law “On Production and Consumption Waste” dated June 24, 1998).

The rules for recycling printer cartridges are clearly regulated by the Office of Rosprirodnadzor, and the state may impose fines for consumables thrown into a regular landfill from 20,000 to 250,000 rubles for legal entities.

Options for proper and legal disposal of cartridges

Replace empty cartridges with new ones

The most reasonable and economical way to recycle cartridges is to exchange empty used cartridges for new ones in our company. We give you new, ready-to-use consumables, and you hand over the old ones according to the acceptance certificate. We are always ready to send you documents confirming disposal in any way convenient for you to confirm the work or reporting.

Removal, processing and disposal of waste from hazard classes 1 to 5

We work with all regions of Russia. Valid license. A complete set of closing documents. Individual approach to the client and flexible pricing policy.

Using this form you can leave a request for services, request Commercial offer or get a free consultation from our specialists.

There are no citizens who have never heard about the environmental threats created by discarded garbage. You can find a wide variety of items in landfills, from harmless ceramics to those that poison the air and soil. mercury lamps. However, there is a group of products that are safe only at first glance. These items include printer cartridges. People have no idea what dangers this consumable contains.

Why can't you throw the cartridge in the trash?

Government agencies, private firms and companies offering services of any kind, as well as ordinary residents - all use printers. In the vast majority of cases, at the end of their service life, used printer cartridges are thrown away along with municipal waste into trash cans. Few people know that this is strictly prohibited.

Discarded consumables take centuries to decompose, gradually filling up free space in landfills and damaging ecological system. In case of fire, harmful components are released into the atmosphere. Considering how often waste in landfills catches fire, this situation poses a real threat.

Modern printers use laser printing technology, which uses toner stored in a cartridge. It is this that has a negative effect on the human body. Being volatile, it quickly penetrates into respiratory system, causing complications and severe coughing. Proper disposal printer cartridges - important task for any office and company. If you disassemble the container at home, the probability of inhaling harmful particles reaches 100%.

Component composition of waste

The printer cartridge is a container made of polystyrene - a durable plastic that does not respond well to fire, but emits a lot of smoke. Taking into account the fact that inkjet printers are practically not used, it is important to familiarize yourself with the composition of the toner stored in containers for laser devices:

• vinyl acetate
• magnetite
• magnetic additives
• aluminium oxide
• titanium dioxide

Toner particles are 3-5 microns in size and easily spread through the air. Considering that up to 3% of this substance is retained in a used consumable container, disposal of printer cartridges must be carried out using the appropriate method.

Recycling technology

Despite the fact that used cartridges can be refilled with toner and continued to be used (which is much more economical than buying a new product), the product will exhaust its life with each refill.

Sooner or later the need will come to get rid of used consumables. Best choice will hand over the waste for recycling. In Russia there are organizations involved in the disposal of this type of waste. The cost of processing 1 container is 100 rubles.

Recycling companies dispose of cartridges in one of two ways:

1. Old containers are sent to recycling facilities. The product is cleaned, repaired, worn parts are replaced with new ones. After this, the updated cartridge is refilled and sold in stores under a different brand.
2. Cartridges are sorted and disassembled into their component parts. After which the polymers are crushed and melted at temperatures of 1000 °C. Thermal exposure leads to the decomposition of plastic into non-hazardous substances. The resulting raw materials are quite suitable for creating new containers.

Despite the insufficient development of recycling in Russian Federation, there are many companies in the country offering recycling services for used toner containers (Tochka, EcoProf, Ecocartridge and others).

Cartridge Recycling Law

There is a separate law establishing rules for the disposal of production and consumption waste. In FKKO, printer cartridges fall into 3-4 hazard categories. The rules state that containers with toners must be included in the waste passport, indicating the quantity, hazard class, storage method and recycling method. For recycling, an agreement is concluded with a recycling company that has access to similar types works At the end, the customer must receive a certificate confirming the disposal of the goods.

Rospotrebnadzor monitors compliance with laws. If the rules are ignored and cartridges are thrown away, entity is subject to penalties in the amount of 20-250 thousand rubles.

Write-off of cartridges in budgetary institutions

Budgetary institutions using printers and other office equipment must use instruction No. 148. It states that before a consumable item is written off, a commission is created that is responsible for decommissioning the assets. It is the commission that determines the suitability of the cartridge for subsequent use, refilling or repair, or the container must be written off and disposed of. If it is not possible to create an inspection commission, its responsibilities are transferred to the employee responsible for technical condition office equipment.

When the used cartridges on the balance sheet are recognized as non-working, they can be sent for recycling and receive a recycling certificate, or enter into an agreement with a company that will take away the used products, providing new consumables in return according to the transfer and acceptance certificate. At the same time, the company must also provide papers confirming the disposal of old containers.

Ideally, all commercial and budgetary institutions must treat the surrounding ecosystem with care and not throw hazardous waste into landfills. Then the environmental situation in the state will reach a new level.

At any modern organization There is at least one printer. But, more often than not, there are several of them. And they come with a large supply of consumables and cartridges. But cartridges tend to run out. And an empty cartridge cannot simply be taken and thrown away - as a rule, even in this state it retains a certain amount of coloring matter, which can often turn out to be very, very toxic.

That is why it is necessary not to throw away cartridges, but to recycle them in full compliance with legal requirements.

In addition, at various types devices and even cartridges of the same technology but from different manufacturers may contain completely different components that require different approaches upon disposal.

EcoMir LLC recycles cartridges of all types

We recycle inkjet and laser cartridges any manufacturers. Our specialists will independently remove used cartridges, disassemble them into components, process harmful and toxic materials, prepare and deliver a complete set of documents.

We have extensive experience in recycling cartridges, qualified specialists, our own fleet of vehicles, all the necessary permits and licenses. We work quickly, efficiently and fully comply with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

Recycling laser cartridges

As for laser cartridges, their storage and accumulation can be dangerous for the personnel of your organization. It's all about the high toxicity of the filler - toner. It can not only cause allergies, but also provoke the most various diseases- from asthma to oncology. And if thrown away with household waste, even one single cartridge can cause serious harm to the environment. However, for such an action the organization can receive a very significant fine.

Nowadays, many of us use printing equipment, especially these devices have earned the trust of office workers. To verify this, visit the office of any enterprise, and you are guaranteed to find office equipment there. At a minimum, it will be a multifunctional device (printer, scanner, copier). However, in most cases there are several such devices in offices.

When using a peripheral device at home, we rarely think about the fact that over time its consumables will exhaust their resource and will need to be disposed of. In offices, factories and in the copying business, this problem is encountered many times faster and more often. Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to properly dispose of used cartridges.

What dangers do consumables for printing equipment pose?

Each product has its own service life. As for cartridges, as a rule, their last working day is considered when they completely run out of coloring matter. Thus, when this happens to them, we remove them from the printer and put them in the trash bin with peace of mind, not even suspecting how wrong we are doing. After all, if you look closely, all cartridges are made of plastic, and, as you know, this material has a rather serious impact on the environment. It would be a good thing if the discarded cartridges simply lay around in a city landfill and thus do not cause any harm environment. But, as you know, this happens extremely rarely. Since landfills are often set on fire, the bad components that plastic contains are released into the atmosphere. Be that as it may, no one wants to store such seemingly unnecessary things at home or at work.

How to recycle cartridges?

It is worth knowing that not only the material from which the cartridge is made can harm the environment, but the coloring matter used in it is also not completely harmless. This is especially true for toner, which is used in laser technology press, since this powder often causes an allergic reaction in many people. Therefore, in order not to harm the environment and human health, cartridges must be disposed of correctly. There are many ways, but only three of them are considered effective. The first is to hand over (sell) the cartridge to a special company that refurbishes used consumables. The second way is to burn it. However, there is one thing about this. To prevent even more pollution external environment, the temperature at which cartridges should be burned should not be below 1000°C. Naturally, such a result is practically impossible to achieve at home. Thus, the third method follows from this, which involves submitting such products for disposal to the appropriate organization. To summarize briefly, we can clearly say that it is best and most profitable to send the cartridge for secondary processing.

What makes remanufactured cartridges good?

Many people think that if the cartridge is not original, then it will not be able to function normally. However, this is nothing more than a common myth spread by manufacturers of branded products. In fact, such consumables are absolutely no different from their originals. After all, restoration implies not only replenishment of the coloring matter, but also replacement of worn-out parts and mechanisms of the cartridge. It is also worth considering that the resource of a restored printed accessory is identical to the original one, and sometimes even many times longer. Plus, to all that has been said, the low price for such cartridges will pleasantly surprise everyone. The only disadvantage of such printing accessories is the quality of printing, which in turn becomes less and less pleasant with each new refill.

Some statistics

Every year, more than 300 million cartridges are thrown into landfills around the world. Moreover, in Europe this mark has long been surpassed by more than 100 million consumables. Leading the way is the UK, where almost 50 million printed accessories are thrown away every year. Now imagine how much cleaner the ecology of the “Earth” would be if, instead of being thrown into a landfill, all these products were sent for “recycling” or recycling. It is interesting that in the USA about 8 cartridges are written off every second. However, most of them are reused again.