The news will be seen by some as an important sustainability programme, and by others as a move into the already-crowded cartridge collection sector. Let us know how you see it.
Teachers, school administrators and students can sign up their classrooms online to receive free recycling boxes, as well as recycling education ideas.
The boxes can be filled with ink and toner cartridges, and certain small electronics such as mobile phones and rechargeable batteries.
Full boxes are sent back to Office Depot free of charge, and the company will offer gift cards as rewards, allowing schools to buy new supplies.
“The Recycling Rules program is a great way to educate students about the importance of recycling, while providing teachers with a great way to get many of the supplies they need for their classrooms,” said Yalmaz Siddiqui, Director of Environmental Strategy for Office Depot.
“This program is just one more example of how Office Depot is developing innovative ways for our customers to benefit from our green initiatives.”
Office Depot says the new programme will help expand it’s sustainability efforts, and that in 2009 alone it collected over 14 million ink and toner cartridges.
In March, the company celebrated the 40th anniversary of Earth Day with a challenge to collect 400 tons of e-waste during the month.