What to do with all those printer cartridges.

[Greg]

My printer is an Epson 7880, and I have a pile of empty 110 ml cartridges.  (I have never thrown one away.)  It seems very wasteful (not to mention the Environmental impact) to discard all those cartridges.  Is there any kind of trade-in or company that will pay something for them?  There are probably companies that will sell ink to refill the cartridges along with a tool to program the chip to let the printer know they are full.  But my problem with that is how to know the ink has the same properties as the K2 inks, not to mention the correct color for each cartridge.  Some may suggest larger cartridges, but I do not print often enough to go through the larger cartridges before they expire.  Am I just out of luck?

My son worked for NCR Corporation, and they had a program to collect and refill cartridges (the small ones).  So one would think that Epson would take advantage of the tremendous savings they could gain by refilling cartridges rather than manufacturing new ones. 

Greg 

[Derek Jecxz]

Hi Greg,

It is more environmentally friendly to use the 220ml cartridges. Unfortunately I don't know of any recycling program, have you contacted Epson? I certainly understand your concern, however, if you don't want to throw them into the garbage, my best suggestion is to chuck them into your neighbor's yard so he can deal with the guilt. Maybe mow his lawn a few times a year to make up for the mess. Let us know if Epson has a better suggestion.

;d

[Greg]

Derek,

Here is what I heard from Epson that was entirely expected:

My initial request:

My printer is an Epson 7880, and I have a pile of empty 110 ml cartridges. (I have never thrown one away.) It seems very wasteful (not to mention the Environmental impact) to discard all those cartridges. Is there any kind of trade-in or company that will pay something for them? There are probably companies that will sell ink to refill the cartridges along with a tool to program the chip to let the printer know they are full. But my problem with that is how to know the ink has the same properties as the K2 inks, not to mention the correct color for each cartridge. Some may suggest larger cartridges, but I do not print often enough to go through the larger cartridges before they expire. Am I just out of luck?

My son worked for NCR Corporation, and they had a program to collect and refill cartridges (the small ones). So one would think that Epson would take advantage of the tremendous savings they could gain by refilling cartridges rather than manufacturing new ones. I will not expect renumeration for that suggestion. Just a joke.

Greg

Epson's response:

Dear Mr. Keeton,

Thank you for your inquiry. You would need to research on the internet for companies who might refill those large format printer ink cartridges. Epson does not refill cartridges nor does Epson recommend the use of refilled cartridges because we cannot guarantee the output from said cartridges. Neither can we guarantee that the ink used in such cartridges is manufactured to Epson specifications or are made with the correct materials.

Margaret C
Recycle Support

My response back to Epson:

Margaret C,

Sorry to lead you down the wrong path.  I guess you missed my point about whether Epson is interested in saving money (and the Environment) by purchasing and refilling their own existing cartridges.  I thought my e-mail made it clear I was not interested in third party ink.

My son worked for NCR Corporation, and they had a program to collect and refill cartridges (the small ones). So one would think that Epson would take advantage of the tremendous savings they could gain by refilling cartridges rather than manufacturing new ones.

Thanks,

Greg

[Alex Maxim]

I don't think so. Cartridges cost cents for them and they pay off the expenses by selling them for over 1000% of the ink and cartridge costs. But supporting return, cleaning, QC and refill would cost millions or billions to set up and much higher production costs in the end.

Caring about the environment is another matter. Probably they are not interested in it at this point, until they are pressed by consumers and investors.

Alex

[Greg]

You may be right.  However, as stated earlier, my son (a chemical engineer with around 25 patents) worked in research and development for NCR Corporation.  It is, by no means, a small company.  One of his colleagues won an all expenses paid vacation overseas for developing a way to retrieve and refill small printer ink cartridges.  I am sure NCR did a complete study on the cost/benefit of the program and found it profitable.  Personally, I think the huge profitability of Epson's large format printer ink makes them lazy.  I also disagree they can produce them for little money (cents as you say).  The person who responded to me was about as off the mark as one could be.  Maybe their people in the large format ink division are just as unresponsive to a legitimate business proposition.

Greg   

[Alex Maxim]

Maybe you are right, Greg.

[mauro risch]

Have you thought of putting the whole lot on Ebay for a minimum amount? $1, $10 or even $100.
Some one could be interested in finding a way to reuse them.

[Derek Jecxz]

Greg, not joking, I am a bit surprised, with an 8 second search with Google I found:

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/Recycle/RecycleProgram.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes

Which specifically states:

Epson Ink Cartridge Recycling Program
Epson is pleased to offer our customers an environmentally responsible way to recycle their used Epson branded inkjet cartridges. Simply follow the steps below:

Package your used inkjet cartridges in an appropriate shipping envelope or box. Ensure there is no leakage from the cartridges.

Mail your package to:
Epson America, Inc.
Attn: Recycling Center
18300 Central Avenue
Carson, CA 90746

;d

[Greg]

Thanks Derek.  Google isn't my forte, but I may use it more now that I feel a little incompetent (aka stupid).

You'd think Margaret C. would have, at least, mentioned that to me.

Greg