The recovery and reuse of toner and inkjet cartridges reduces landfill by millions of cubic feet of non-biodegradable material. Laser toner cartridges disposed of each year in the UK account for thousands of tons of waste plastic and metal. (The plastic used in each printer cartridge is estimated to take 1,000 years to decompose.) In addition, each laser cartridge that is recycled conserves the equivalent of approximately 1 litre of oil.
The Cartridges that aren't returned to manufacturers, often get dumped in countries like rural china, to stop them filling the UK's landfill sites. Even though the export of hazardous waste from developed to undeveloped countries is prohibited, migrant workers are often seen searching around the sites where empty printer cartridges are dumped, using their fingers to recover the toner powder from empty toner cartridges which is sold to make low grade dyes.
Many residents develop respiratory problems and water has to be brought in from up to 10 kilometres away, as the wells and rivers are so contaminated.
The internal and external parts of the empty printer cartridges that are not considered to be worth any value are burned along streets, roads and rivers.
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