More than three quarts of oil are used during the manufacturing of a new laser toner cartridge, while only one quart is required to make a recycled one. In addition, recycling cartridges in not a one-time deal; they can be cleaned and reused up to five or six times. This is good news for people who use printers as well as business that want to get involved.

The University Toner Recovery program works with California universities and produces a profit not only for itself, but also for participating colleges, making it a win-win-win for the company, the school and the environment.

We spoke with University Toner Recovery founder Steve Lightfoot to get to know the program a little better.

Program Overview

University Toner Recovery works with universities throughout California, where cartridges are collected in special containers at each participating campus. The containers are checked weekly, and cartridges are taken back to the company to be cleaned and resold. One-third of the profit is given to the university.

The program is especially helpful in light of the new trash laws which require California universities to cut back on waste. Even though the program began in the Golden State, Lightfoot said he is looking to expand the program throughout the country. Until then, you can find out where to recycle ink cartridges using Earth 911.

In the Beginning

The program started about five years ago. Lightfoot had been working rebuilding cartridges and knew all about the process of transforming a filthy old toner into a new, ready-to-use product. It was just him in the beginning.

“I just drove around in my truck and spoke with different universities,” he said. “A lot them didn’t know that these things could be recycled. A lot of people are still in the dark about it, but we’re trying to get the word out there.”

Extending the Lifecycle

“We keep toners out of the landfills. We give another lifecycle to the cartridge,” Lightfoot said. After five or six rounds of reuse, the cartridges can no longer be cleaned up and resold. At this point, the company sends them to Oregon where they are melted down and molded into new products.

Eco-Evolution

More and more people and businesses are recycling ink cartridges as knowledge spreads. “Many people just don’t know all that can be recycled,” he said. “Once they get the message, they become excited about it and want to know what else they can recycle that they didn’t know about.”

Importance of Consumers

“Everywhere you go, someone is using a printer. Everyone can help keep cartridges out of the landfills,” he said. Any person can put their old cartridges in the university drop-offs.

Also, consumers and businesses can purchase the revived toners on the company’s site. Their toner cartridges are guaranteed to perform as well as new cartridges and have less than a one percent fail rate.

Most Exciting Part of Running University Toner Recovery

Lightfoot said he likes “waking up in the morning and knowing it’s a new day and that I can do something good today. I know a lot of people are not recycling. I know the value of what we’re doing. It’s about a lot more than me. Now is a really serious time to be doing this. It is an important time to be more conscious of how we treat our planet.”

Future Plans

Ideally, the program will one day expand to be a franchise, Lightfoot said. More immediate pursuits include expanding the program to Northern California.

Favorite of the Three R’s

His favorite of the three R’s is reuse. “A lot of the time people just throw things away,” he said, adding they miss the opportunity to give the item a second lifecycle. In the case of a toner cartridge, the performance is equal, he said. So why not extend the lifecycle and conserve our resources?

To read about other companies featured on Earth 911, check out our Company Profile Section.

Ashely Schiller is a staff member with Earth 911