Olympic Printer Resources Reduces Disposal in Landfills

Olympic Printer Resources, Inc. recently reported they prevented 56.8 tons of empty inkjet and toner cartridges from being disposed in landfills last year. The company collects empty cartridges from customers, military bases, hospitals and financial institutions around the Puget Sound region.

In Olympic Printer Resources’ 2013 Washington State Recycling Survey reported to the state Department of Ecology, 53 percent of the tonnage was actually reused in remanufacturing toner cartridges. Cartridge weight is primarily ABS plastic that is not biodegradable. “If you throw a toner cartridge in the dump and dig it up 10,000 years from now, the metal components will have corroded away but the plastic portions would still be intact,” notes Erik Petersen, vice president of operations for the company.

“Our remanufacturing efforts recapture a large fraction of all the resources, the equivalent to three quarts of crude oil, used during the cartridge’s original production. Our quality remanufactured products are 100 percent guaranteed to meet the specifications of a newly manufactured cartridge, but at a much lower cost.” Company president Jeff Petersen stated, “Since 1993 we have been committed to supporting our local economy by providing quality products at reasonable prices. Olympic Printer Resources is a veteran-owned small business that employs 10 people who are paid living wages and benefits who spend their paychecks in our area.”