Ricoh Recycling

About toner recyclingOnly about 15% of the sixty five million printer ink and toner cartridges used in the U.K. are recycled. The majority end up in landfill, where it can take more than a thousand years for them to break down. Although some cartridges can be refilled, once toner bottles are empty, they cannot be refilled or reused. Consequently, many third party refillers do not collect them, resulting in a large proportion in landfill sites.

Ricoh believe in a product lifecycle approach to the environment called “The Whole Journey”. The environmental impact of its products are analysed at every step of the lifecycle and steps are taken to minimise this impact.  eRECO is a WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) disposal specialist. Its experienced team of recycling professionals work in partnership with Ricoh to optimise the current collection and recycling schemes Ricoh have in place to ensure toner cartridges and bottles never find their way into landfill sites.

The print consumable scheme is straight forward and user-friendly:

- Companies that sign up to scheme receive specially designed toner collection bags and cable ties. On average, the bags hold approximately twenty four units
- The scheme is also able to recycle the cardboard packaging which can be included in the bags
- Once full, participants call the dedicated freephone number or email to arrange collection (usually within 24 hours to most UK locations).
- eRECO will provide duty of care waste transfer notes at this stage that can be used in environmental audits
- In receipt of the bags, eRECO asset tracks the contents of each bag and begins the recycling process. Participants receive a full asset report which provides details such as the model types collected and total consignment weights. These reports can help with achieving and maintaining ISO14001: 2004 accreditation or EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) approval

- The scheme accepts toner bottles and cartridges from any manufacturer
- Materials recovered in the process are used to manufacture a variety of products including washing machine parts, traffic cones, building materials, fire alarm casings and games consoles- products which can in turn, be recycled again Participation in the scheme costs £30 per bag which includes provision of the bag, collection and tracking of materials sent for recycling.