Why Using Ink Refills Is More Environmentally Friendly Than Simply Replacing An Ink Cartridge

2009-12-18

People who have an interest in the environment or are inherently frugal might agree about the practicality of getting ink cartridge refills. If you just buy cartridge refills, you can potentially save yourself 50 percent by going for these cheaper, more environmentally friendly alternatives.

When a person opts to buy a new cartridge, they are also contributing to the demand for more materials - for example, little plastic ink cartridges. This person is sending a message to the company saying that they like their product and will continue to buy it new, therefore production of such materials continues or even increases. On another note, ink cartridges aren't just made of plastic. They also have electronic contacts and microchips on them. These things have to be produced along with the plastic as well. And on another level, so does the packaging for these cartridges. A person has to consider buying all of these things if they want a new ink cartridge - all of which contribute to the continuous production of materials that end up in landfills if they are not recycled or reused.

If you are not yet convinced that you should think twice when considering buying a new ink cartridge, think about this - you can save yourself money by taking your cartridge to get refilled, or you can save even more money by buying the refills and refilling the cartridges yourself. It is a lot easier than it may seem to refill cartridges on your own. It is worth the short amount of time it takes to do this, especially knowing that you are no longer contributing to harming the environment, and are also saving money. There are a number of reasons to choose to refill cartridges rather than purchasing new ones: not contributing to filling landfills by throwing old ones away, lower costs and ease and convenience.

Beside the fact that not buying a new cartridge would mean that there could potentially be one less cartridge headed for a landfill, there is a deeper issue at hand here which if nurtured could have a more of a profound impact on things besides the environment. People buy these new expensive ink cartridges because they think they have no choice but to. There is a whole market out there for aftermarket ink cartridges which are basically generic versions of the more expensive name brand inks. By not buying new cartridges, and instead buying recycled cartridges, aftermarket ink cartridges, or refills, may make companies reevaluate their business strategies. In turn, big business who sell cartridges at high prices, might consider adjusting the prices of printers and cartridges.