When you think expensive technology, what items first come to mind?  A computer monitor?  A printer?  One forgotten cost is the expense of ink for your printer.  A dual ink cartridge with black and color ink can cost anywhere from $35 to over $50 depending on the type of printer you own.

Now, you may be thinking, “what do I do with the old cartridges?  It seems like they’re used so quickly.”  Not to worry!  Several solutions exist for your dilemma.

Some of the printer ink sold at Goodwill Reboot.

Recycling printer cartridges is a great way to help the environment.  Several companies offer recycling options for your printer cartridges.  Hewlett-Packard takes your old cartridges and converts them to raw materials which are then used to create new products.  Office Depot also offers rewards for customers to bring in their used printer cartridges and recycle them.  Both of these companies allow customers to mail in their used cartridges as an option for recycling.

One company, called FundingFactory, even allows you to recycle printer cartridges and other unwanted technology and turn it into money for your school or a nonprofit of your choice.  Can you imagine raising money for a good cause while helping the environment?  That sounds like a win for everyone.

At Goodwill, we can help with unwanted printer cartridges.  Unfortunately, we do not accept used ink cartridges due to the cost of recycling. However, if you should happen to purchase the wrong type of ink for your printer, bring it into the Goodwill Reboot store instead of throwing it away.  We sell this printer ink for the low price of $5.99 so someone else can use it in their printer.

By recycling your ink cartridges, you are helping to reduce the amount of plastic put into the landfill each year which is always beneficial to the environment.  Plastic can be reused in so many different ways, so it makes sense to avoid putting it in landfills.  With a few simple steps, you too can help reduce the amount of waste put into landfills each year.