More than three million printer cartridges are dumped into landfills each year – that’s approximately the circumference of the earth. As the movement toward a “greener” environment gains momentum, some companies have already made inroads into diverting some of those discarded cartridges. There is also an environmental initiative taking place right now to petition government to make sure that manufacturers make cartridges third party refillable.
Island Ink-Jet, a Canadian franchise, is one of those third parties. “We refill approximately two million cartridges each year, which reduces the effect on landfills significantly,” said Debbie Radchenko, owner of the Oakville Island Ink-Jet located in the Upper Oakville Shopping Centre. It’s a number that’s sure to grow as consumers become more environmentally aware and more cost conscious.
Most cartridge refills will save consumers 50 per cent off the cost of a new one, while other cartridges have higher cost savings. The process is fast – customers can bring in their cartridges in a plastic container or bag and twenty minutes later can leave with a refilled product that has been tested and repackaged. On average a cartridge can be refilled four times.
Debbie got involved with Island Ink-Jet when she went searching for a retail business of her own. She came across one in a mall and thought it might be perfect for her since she already had a computer background. After working there for nine months as a technician she quickly realized that this was for her. So another nine months down the road she opened the Oakville location.
“It was of great interest to me. When I realized the cost savings and the environmental benefits that Island Ink-Jet offered, it became an easy decision,” Debbie said. “And my computer background is allowing me to offer value-added services for customers.”
The environmental initiative called Keep Refilling Alive is an ongoing campaign to divert cartridges from landfill sites. Taking as its model the initiative in Europe that resulted in a law making it mandatory that cartridges be third-party refillable, Island Ink-Jet hopes Canada will soon get on board. Australia has recently launched its own campaign.
For more information visit
www.islandinkjet.com.
