HP LaserJet and inkjet print cartridge return and recycling programme
HP is committed to providing customers with inventive, high quality products and services that are environmentally sound throughout their life cycles, and to conducting its operations in an environmentally responsible manner. This commitment continues to be one of the guiding principles that are core to HP’s values.
Recycling HP LaserJet print cartridges
Returned original HP LaserJet print cartridges are disassembled at a recycling plant in France, where more than 95 per cent of the material can subsequently be recovered and reclaimed. In a first step, the print cartridge components are sorted and separated into plastics, metals and residual toner powder. The plastics can then be melted; aluminium and other metal components such as screws and metal springs are processed or reused after a thorough quality check. Residual toners are used to recover pigments and energy. Plastics and metals serve as the basis for producing a wide variety of new products, for example wire spools, buttons, property markers and other useful articles.
Recycling HP inkjet print cartridges
Returned original HP inkjet print cartridges are shipped to the state of the art recycling facility in Germany, where they are sorted and granulated to remove the ink. After washing them, the print cartridges’ fragments are separated and then processed to recover plastics and metals. Recyclable materials derived from print cartridges are used to make car parts, trays for microchip fabrication, copper wire, or steel plates – just to give a few examples. Depending on the model,
up to 70 per cent by weight of each print cartridge can be separated into its individual components and subsequently recycled. The remaining parts that cannot be used (ink, foam, composite parts) are disposed of in an environmentally responsible manner.
