What Happens When We Recycle Cartridges and Office Equipment?

April 02, 2019

We talk a lot about our sustainability initiatives, but we’ve never given an inside look at how we recycle office equipment and materials. Until now. In honor of Earth Month and Earth Day later this month, we wanted to share more about our processes and partners in sustainability.

The Process

When customers want to upgrade printers or copiers, we’ll encourage them to recycle their old equipment rather than disposing of it. Often times, some parts are still usable. We first collect the used equipment or cartridges from our customers who are looking to recycle.

Depending on the recycled equipment, we’ll take the following steps:

• Harvest the usable parts and recycle metals with the help of the Environmentally Conscious Recycling Company (ECR)
• Return shrink-wrapped pallets for used toner bottles and ink cartridges

Alongside ECR, we’re proud to continue recycling equipment and materials at or above 99% completion.

Recycling with Our Partners

We also proudly partner with manufacturers who share our emphasis on sustainability and environmentally-friendly business practices. In addition to manufacturing ENERGYSTAR-compliant products, these partners help us recycle even more.

Konica Minolta

Konica Minolta, one of our chief partners, makes equipment recycling seamless and easy through its Clean Planet Program. Whether you’re a small office or high-volume customer like us, Konica Minolta provides a one-stop shop for recycling your printer parts, ink cartridges, and more. For larger customers, Konica Minolta will accept all brands of recyclables, making it especially easy to return them.

Lexmark

Through the Lexmark Cartridge Collection Program, we’re able to ship back customers’ used Lexmark toner cartridges for proper recycling. Plus, the company follows a strict no-landfill policy, so we can rest assured that Lexmark with properly dispose of and recycle old cartridges.

Our Commitment to the Environment

We take sustainability seriously around here at POA. Whether that’s taking in used equipment for recycling or helping you conserve energy in your office, it’s our goal to reduce impact and become an example of sustainable business for our local communities. Ready to do the same in your business? Partner with our experts and contact us to find out how we can help.