Each year, about 1.3 billion ink cartridges are sold worldwide.

Printer cartridges are so costly that printer giants like Hewlett-Packard Co. have long made more than half of their profit from selling replacement cartridges.

Nothing is new under the sun...as they say. Ink has become the latest reincarnation of the "razor and razorblade" marketing schema. Sell the razor cheap and make your profits on expensive replacements.

Today, inkjet printers are more affordable than ever, but the high cost of replacement cartridges has many consumers seeking a better way to restock the ink supply. The millions of pounds of waste that ink cartridges create each year also leaves environmentally-conscious consumers hunting for greener alternatives.

Walgreens has announced that its customers can bring empty black or color cartridges to any of nearly 1,500 Walgreens photofinishing counters in the U.S. and have them refilled in just a few minutes for half the cost of buying a new one.


Other companies are testing refill services as well, including OfficeMax and Office Depot.

Save On Inks, a Boston-based ink cartridge provider, said it will put ink refill machines in hotels and strip malls around Boston and in Florida. And makers of ink refill equipment, such as TonerHead Inc., SME Inc. and InkTec Zone America Corp., say other deals with retailers are in the works.

Online companies currently offer cartridge refills and kits. Some offer off-brand inks and these products should be checked for reliability and quality.

http://www.misterinkjet.com (Waco TX)

http://www.inksupply.com (MIS Associates, Lake Orion, MI)

http://www.inkjetrefills.com (iMagnan Corp, Ottawa, Canada)

And more refill companies are available.
Search for "refill inkjet cartridges"

http://www.atlanticinkjet.com/


Walgreens backs each refill with a 100 percent guarantee. The process is also quick and simple - Walgreens can refill most black or color inkjet cartridges in about 15 minutes. Go to Walgreens.com to find a location near you.

Waste products can be more valuable than primary products?

Greenbiz reports that ethanol from grasses (vs. corn) can have leftover profits greater than ethanol -- the primary product.

Researchers are exploring how the leftover biomass from ethanol production of alfalfa could produce glues for plywood production that could replace half of the phenol formaldehyde -- a petroleum-based adhesive now used to make plywood.

That's a triple benefit! Produce ethanol. Use the waste from that process as another product -- glue. And reduce petroleum-based adhesives by replacing it with biomass sourcing.

Another example of how zero-waste innovation can have multiple impacts! So, if you have waste products...look at how they can be used. Research how they can replace other, more damaging products.

Creativity and resourcefulness can help us reclaim a healthful way of living and working!