Epson Return & Recycle ink cartridge recycle programme

10/03/08

Environmentally conscious printer manufacturer, Epson are extending their current collection programme by launching a toner cartridge Return&Recycle programme as part of its ongoing commitment to offer greener printing solutions to its customers. This new toner cartridge return and recycling scheme will ensure users of all Epson laser printers are able to reduce their impact on the environment.

Mark Karsey, Business Manager at Epson UK commented, “Epson have demonstrated a clear commitment to reducing its impact on the environment for many years now, and the new toner cartridge Return&Recycle programme is another example of our global focus on sustainability."

“This new scheme complements our existing toner cartridge collection programme, in which we aim to take complete ownership of toner cartridge recycling on behalf of our customers; helping organisations to reduce landfill waste without any additional service cost or hassle for them.”

The new programme caters for organisations of all sizes by offering two different options, both of which are free for the customer to use, in order to make the process as easy and efficient as possible.

Large organisations can visit the Epson website to order a reusable branded recycle-box made from recycled materials, which can hold up to 30 laser toner cartridges. Empty toner cartridges are placed in the box, and once it is full, offices simply contact Epson via the Epson website and the recycle box will be collected. Smaller organisations can use a free-of-charge postal service; quickly downloading a barcode label from the Epson website then simply sticking it onto the toner box before posting. Epson takes care of all postage costs.

Epson’s toner cartridges are manufactured using fully recyclable materials. The collected cartridges are transported efficiently to the European recycling hub where the components are recycled, ensuring optimal re-use of all the different materials.

Mark Karsey continued, “Aside from reducing waste, the use of recycled materials can cut the energy required during the manufacturing process, reducing the carbon footprint of products that are manufactured from the cartridge materials in the future.”

In addition to the Return&Recycle programme, all Epson UK customers using the new AL-M2000 series laser printers are being offered an additional incentive to engage in the Return&Recycle programme. They can benefit from a significant discount on the retail price of AL-M2000 toner cartridges. The discounted cartridges contain a clearly-marked legal agreement on the packaging, meaning that once the seal of the product packaging is broken, the user has committed to return the cartridge into Epson’s recycling programme when empty. Those who do not wish to partake in the programme can still purchase non-discounted cartridges at the full retail price.

Mark Karsey concluded “By providing a financial incentive for customers looking to recycle their cartridges, we are actively rewarding those users that share our ambition to reduce landfill waste.”

Epson’s Return&Recycle programmes can be accessed via the dedicated website here. http://www.epson-europe.com/environment/collectandrecycle

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