Cheshire-based 300 Recycling has found several uses for toner left behind in end-of-life cartridges.
The man behind the idea, Angus Carnie, says he came up with the idea by analysing the powder after realising that remanufacturers have no idea what to do with it.
Charging £70 per tonne, Carnie will collect the toner in bulk bags in his mobile plant. Here, he will mix it with other materials for different uses. Carnie explains that this way, the cost of transport, skip hire and landfill tax is eliminated.
To ensure that the toner will be recycled properly, he has a licence to issue a certificate to companies that explains this.
According to Carnie, there is around 7,000 tonnes of toner that goes to landfill around the world. This is made up from the cartridges that may be broken, have already been refilled or from discontinued printer models.
These cartridges cannot be granulated because the remaining toner will explode when it comes in contact with the heat from the machine, as the powder is so fine.
300 Recycling will reuse the powder as pigment in specialist paints, repelletised as colourant in plastics and forensic finger powder.
Carnie said: “I came across the idea by accident through conversations with various clients in the toner cartridge business. The remanufacturers collect and refill cartridges but no one knew what to do with the powder. So I wanted to find out what to do with it and it became a bit of a pet project.
“I found two or three uses of which the most interesting is fingerprint powder. It’s a practical solution where unwanted material is used in a positive way to solve crime.”
He added: “And let’s put it this way, this is cheaper than landfill. I just hope the cartridge industry embraces this innovative positive solution.”
300 Recycling has already started collecting toner, with 200 tonnes in the past week. The company was set up by Carnie six months ago and has 11 employees. He is also involved in the tyre shredding business.
Email angus.carnie@virgin.net for more information.