The franchise was speaking ahead of America Recycles Day on November 15.
CIOL reported that Cartridge World USA is imploring IT companies to prevent their electronics from going to landfill, as part of promotions before America Recycles Day on 15 November. The franchise noted that “conservation and environmental responsibility have been hot button issues for years”, but the “stark reality” is that “even the simplest form” of responsibility – recycling – is “neglected”.
Cartridge World added that “thousands of events” taking place on America Recycles Day aimed to “raise awareness about the importance of recycling”, with a 2013 study by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finding that Americans only recycled 35 percent of 250 million tonnes of rubbish produced in 2011, with the remaining waste dumped in landfill.
The study also found that only 25 percent of electronics were recycled by consumers, despite many of the products containing “hazardous chemicals with the potential to contaminate groundwater and streams”. Cartridge World stated in response that since opening its first store in the USA over 10 years ago, it has managed to keep around 4.5 million empty printer cartridges from landfill each year.
Tom McLaughlin, Marketing Director at Cartridge World USA, stated: “Our in-store recycling efforts are only a small part of the solution. As a globally recognised electronics brand, we have an obligation to educate and advocate the importance of recycling.
“Unfortunately, electronics are recycled at even lower rates than other common household items, and electronics often have the most devastating impacts on the environment.”