Recycle cartridges to reduce e-waste

Used printer cartridges may be small, but they are causing a huge environmental problem.

They make up a big proportion of the fast-growing category of e-waste and Australians are recycling less than 50 per cent of it.

As part of Planet Ark’s National Recycling Week, Australia Post Bunbury on Victoria Street is once again getting involved in the 10th annual Cartridges for Planet Ark.

Australia Post Bunbury retail shop manager Reg McIvor said the store had been involved in the program since the beginning.

“Initially we canvassed to get the businesses around town to use it, but now we don’t have to because they just bring their cartridges straight into us,” Mr McIvor said.

Mr McIvor encouraged more businesses and members of the community to take the opportunity to drop cartridges off to make sure they were recycled properly.

Since the program started 10 years ago more than 3.4 million used cartridges have been stopped from entering landfill — Bunbury Post Office has recycled more than 4500kg of cartridges in that time.

Planet Ark campaign head Brad Gray said it was important people realised e-waste could not be put in the household recycling bin.

“Cartridges are a complex mix of materials and can’t be placed in the kerbside collection system with simple products,” he said.

All cartridges collected at Australia Post outlets are processed by resource recovery organisation Close the Loop to guarantee they do not end up in landfill.

National Recycling Week runs from November 12-18 — visit recyclingweek. planetark.org.