Used Cartridges Where Do They End Up

They end up if not Remanufactured / Recycled, in landfills, riverbanks, roadside and open fields in third world countries such as Guiyu In China

Like the people of River-Ton City in Jamaica, the people of Guiyu, China is feeling the harmful effects of waste / garbage disposal. Thousands up on thousands of cartridges are dumped there on a weekly basis, all because someone / company refused to recycle / remanufacture their cartridges.

The tragedy is compounded by the knowledge that the toner cartridges remanufacturing industry could have given many of those cartridges another life through recycling. Instead, through callous disregard they have become tools of disaster and devastation.

"Remember, what you toss always ends up somewhere."
-From the Hewlett Packard website

The debate of whether it is better to recycle or remanufacture toner cartridges has raged for years between printer manufacturers and the aftermarket. To the poor people of Guiyu, China, the answer is crystal clear.

Heaps of empty cartridges line the streets and riversides after being scavenged for their toner. Once the toner is swept out by fingers or paintbrushes, the plastic carcasses and other electronic refuse are burned--fouling the air-- or discarded along the Lianjiang River. This type of dumping has rendered the area's drinking water not potable; the river has 200 times the acceptable levels of acid and 2,400 time acceptable levels of lead.

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A Child on a Hill of Garbage In Guiyu China

Riverton City Landfill, Kingston Jamaica