Samsung offers free toner recycling

 Samsung Electronics America Information Technology Division has announced the Samsung Takeback And Recycle programme (STAR), which will offer free return and recycling of empty Samsung brand toner cartridges for US business and consumer owners of Samsung’s laser and multifunction printers.

The new recycling programme safely reprocesses returned cartridges into their major usable component materials and makes those bulk reprocessed materials available to the commodity marketplace for reuse in new manufacturing for a range of other products.

The STAR programme offers two simple, no cost options for customers to return empty toner cartridges. Select Samsung toner cartridge boxes will contain a pre-addressed, pre-paid FedEx shipping label. To return the cartridge, a customer inserts the used cartridge into the empty box of the new, replacement Samsung toner cartridge, and can then contact FedEx for a free pickup, or drop the box off at one of the 51,000 FedEx drop off locations in the US. Customers also can drop off their shipment at the 1,600+ FedEx Kinko’s Office and Print Center locations throughout the country. Alternatively, any Samsung laser printer owner can go to www.samsung.com/starus where they can print out a pre-addressed, pre-paid FedEx return shipping label.

According to a recent research study by Infotrends (www.infotrends.com), nearly half of all exhausted OEM toner cartridges in the US and Western Europe are thrown out by users and not returned for recycling. Samsung’s programme is designed to be simple and convenient, with the aim of encouraging printer users to return their cartridges, thereby reducing the number or cartridges thrown away and not recycled.

The STAR programme addresses the final phases of the product lifecycle for exhausted toner cartridges, ensuring they are collected and reprocessed in a safe and environmentally responsible manner, thereby minimising their overall environmental impact and preventing these empty cartridges from ending up in landfills.

“An important Samsung Green Management objective is to take responsibility at each stage of the product lifecycle for the environmental impact of our products,” said Mr. JH Kim, ITD Division President for Samsung Electronics America.

Samsung also offers the EnviroSync Trade-Up Programme for owners of other printer and display brands, offering customers who purchase energy efficient new Samsung IT printer and display products a convenient way to return their old electronic equipment and ship it to Samsung’s US recycling facilities for proper processing. More information on this programme is available at: www.anythingIT.com/Samsung/html.

About Samsung Electronics America Information Technology Division

Samsung’s Information Technology Division (ITD) markets a complete line of award-winning LCD Monitor products, including professional large format LCD a