Returning Empty Ink Cartridges - Who Really Benefits?

If you haven’t already realised, most new printers are sold for little or no profit.  Most of the profits made by printer suppliers is by subsequently selling you  their own brand ink consumables.  Yes, their own inkjet and toner cartridges.

But if instead you start buying ink cartridges from a different manufacturer specialising in selling compatible or refilled cartridges, you can understand why this might annoy the printer suppliers.

So maybe we can forgive the manufacturers for trying to do everything they can to get you the consumer, to continue purchasing their products.

One technique they might use is to appeal to your ‘green conscience' and get you to return your empty cartridges directly back to them for recycling - whatever that means exactly. This at first glance would seem to make good environmental sense.  However, one thing it will certainly do is stop those empty cartridges from reaching the ‘refiller market’. Stifling the supply to these businesses will also mean less choice for the consumer.

However, if you were simply thinking of disposing of the cartridges by putting them into a skip or taking them to landfill, we would probably recommend sending them back to the manufacturer anyway.  However, it is of course your choice as to how you dispose of your empty ink cartridges, unless of course your contractually bound otherwise. But be aware that you do have the power to affect the way printers and ink cartridges are supplied.

Maybe the best thing is for the market to redress the balance so we pay the going price for the printer hardware at the outset and less for the consumables thereafter.

We have a sneaking suspicion that a couple of the major printer makers have already got the message :>)

This article is published by the Energy Saving Centre on behalf of Village Ink, helping domestic and business consumers in the Swindon, North Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire area to reduce their printing costs.