Recycling Toner Bottles

Whilst some printer cartridges have been able to be recycled for a number of years, the recycling of toner bottles has remained proAs the culture of recycling increases throughout the commercial world, small and medium businesses continue to find challenges when it comes to recycling print consumables.blematic. Toner bottles are often described as ‘non-recyclable’, which is a misleading term in this case. ‘Non-recyclable here refers to toner bottles that are designed to not be refilled once used. However, the individual components used to construct the bottle can often themselves be recycled through an Open Loop process, in which the bottle is dismantled and the resulting materials are reused in the creation of a range of other products.

For the environmentally conscious business, recycling toner bottles through Open Loop processes can be costly as this is a more expensive recycling method than the refilling process. Even charitable organisations, who collect print consumables for recycling in order to raise funds, often charge a collection fee to cover the costs of recycling a non-refillable toner bottle. Therefore, the cost implications of recycling these bottles can act as a deterrent to smaller businesses and so, the bottles often end up in a bin, heading for landfill.

However, there are options available for those companies wishing to recycle their toner bottles and recent developments mean that these options are broadening. In 2010, eReco developed the UK’s first print consumables recycling plant and have since formed partnerships with major manufacturers, including Océ, IKON, Konica Minolta, Ricoh, Sharp and Canon. Toner bottles are being streamed through specialist recycling processes and 100% of materials are reused for a range of different products. Whilst this remains a chargeable service, it is a step in the right direction and should pave the way for more innovative recycling approaches to be developed.