When people think about recycling, what usually comes to mind is paper, glass and cans. Laser printer cartridges, inkjet printer cartridges, copier cartridges and fax cartridges—along with used cell phones (collectively called e-waste)—have been somewhat overlooked as recyclable since they are a relatively new part of our everyday lives. E-waste, however, is having a larger and larger negative impact on our environment.

• E-waste takes up more and more space in our landfills
• Inkjet cartridges, toner cartridges and used cell phones contain substances that are potentially hazardous to humans and animals,
• E-waste requires valuable, non-renewable resources to produce.

Here are some e-waste facts about printer and fax cartridges:

• It takes 2.5 ounces of oil to make a new inkjet cartridge
• It takes 112 ounces of oil to make a new laser cartridge
• In North America alone, over 350 million cartridges are discarded in our landfills each year. That number is increasing at a rate of 12% each year
• Cartridges make up over 1.9 billion pounds of solid waste in America’s landfills. In weight, that's equivalent to 40,000 elephants. In volume, it is equivalent to burying over four million refrigerators!
• It can take up to 450 years for a laser cartridge to decompose in a landfill

Here are some e-waste facts about cell phones:

• By 2005, over 125 million cell phones will be discarded each year resulting in 65,000 tons of waste
• Between 1999 and 2003, only 2.5 million cell phones were collected for recycling or reuse—that’s less than 1 percent of the millions of phones discarded each year
• Cell phones are used for an average of only 18 months before being disposed by consumers
• Cell phones contain metals, plastics, chemicals and other potential hazardous substances and should always be recycled

In the past, most of us have simply discarded our used cell phones and empty toner cartridges. It’s time to change that.

Environmental Office Solutions provides environmentally sound, income generating recycling programs for businesses of any size. We also offer fund raising programs for schools and nonprofit organizations through our partner CC Cash, which stands for Cartridges and Cell Phones for Cash. To learn more about CC Cash, click here.

Now you can do something to help the environment and earn cash at the same time!

Get started today!
Contact us to implement an easy, profit-making recycling program for your company. Environmental Office Solutions--helping you help the environment.

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