Toner
cartridges - Hamilton
City Council
Summary
Hamilton City Council has undertaken a project to improve the environmental impact of toner cartridges through procurement of cartridges that are capable of being refilled.
Key drivers
A cross-organisation group has been set up in council to prepare an internal waste policy to reduce the amount of waste produced by council. The policy also aims to reduce waste at source through better procurement practices. As part of the policy development process a solid waste audit of the municipal building was undertaken that identified that at least one toner cartridge was thrown out every day.
Project detail
Council established the toner recycling scheme in partnership with their office and computer consumable goods supplier. A toner cartridge recycling box was placed near printers on every floor at all council facilities. Where printer usage was low a central collection point was established. When a toner cartridge is recycled it is disassembled, any worn parts are replaced, and new ink is inserted.
Key challenges
One key barrier identified at the introduction of the process was staff perception that the quality of refilled cartridges would be inferior to new cartridges. This has been largely overcome by working with a supplier that staff perceive as reputable and with good quality control systems. This has also been overcome by experience as the re-manufactured toner and inkjet cartridges have performed as well as or in some cases better than new cartridges.
Another key barrier was the de-centralised purchasing system whereby staff from the 22 different units of council were able to make purchases. This has largely been overcome by:
- having a single computer consumable supplier, reducing the opportunity for staff to make ad-hoc purchases,
- developing an intranet ordering system so that if staff order an original toner cartridge the system overrides and elects re-manufactured product instead,
- communicating the message through the staff intranet notice board and articles in staff publications promoting the recycling scheme,
- the cheaper cost of the recycled cartridges compared to new cartridges.
Outcomes of Project
Hamilton City Council orders on average of 15 toner cartridges and 15 ink jet cartridges every month. Currently 12 toner cartridges on average are collected and sent back for recycling. The ink jet cartridges are all also sent back for recycling, however council is still purchasing new cartridges until mid-July as the re-manufacturer is still building up a pool of cartridges for redistribution.
Multiple environmental benefits have been identified from the use of refilled cartridges including:
- reduction of waste to landfill
- reduction in toxicity of waste to landfill
- reduction of resource consumption through reduced manufacturing needs
The project has also resulted in financial savings to council. Not only are the recycled cartridges 13% cheaper to purchase, but the chosen supplier also offers a bonus scheme based on performance targets. Council receives five dollars for every cartridge returned and the money goes back into council's purchasing budget.
