{"id":21234,"date":"2019-04-04T15:32:22","date_gmt":"2019-04-04T14:32:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/?p=21234"},"modified":"2026-02-20T08:50:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T08:50:18","slug":"amazing-things-created-using-recycled-printer-cartridges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/2019\/04\/amazing-things-created-using-recycled-printer-cartridges\/","title":{"rendered":"Amazing things created using recycled printer cartridges"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ inner_width=”auto” inner_max_width=”none”][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ custom_padding__hover=”|||” custom_padding=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.18.0″ text_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”text_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_vertical_length=”text_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_blur_strength=”text_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” link_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”link_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_vertical_length=”link_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_blur_strength=”link_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”ul_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_vertical_length=”ul_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_blur_strength=”ul_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”ol_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_vertical_length=”ol_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_blur_strength=”ol_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”quote_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_vertical_length=”quote_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_blur_strength=”quote_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_2_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_2_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_2_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_3_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_3_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_3_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_4_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_4_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_4_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_5_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length=”header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px” z_index_tablet=”500″ background_pattern_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0.2)” background_mask_color=”#ffffff” vertical_offset_tablet=”0″ horizontal_offset_tablet=”0″]<\/p>\n

Recycling and the environment have been hot topics over recent years, and with documentaries such as Blue Planet 2; that showed us the impact we are having on our world\u2019s oceans and wildlife, it\u2019s clear that everyone on our planet needs to do more to recycle or reduce our use of plastics before it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n

Whilst you might read a new environmental story every day, these problems are nothing new. Throwaway plastics are being produced at alarming rates and not enough is done to reduce the numbers when you consider it can take up to 1000 years for plastics to degrade.<\/p>\n

When it comes to printer cartridges<\/a>, we published some shocking statistics<\/a> back in 2013 that show that from 65 million cartridges that are used solely in the UK each year, just 9.75 million are recycled, today the statistics will be much worse.<\/p>\n

And overall in the UK, we purchase around 3.7 million tonnes of plastic each year, of which just 842,000 tonnes are recycled (22.7%). In the world’s oceans, there are approximately 150 million tonnes floating around, so why don\u2019t we do more??<\/p>\n

\"EMpty<\/p>\n

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Amazing things created using recycled plastics<\/span><\/h2>\n

Whilst the statistics are scary, where there is darkness there is also light, and we found some true heroes out there who are making a real difference by changing the way we think about recycling and looking at new possibilities for using recycled materials to create new products.<\/p>\n

Here are some of the best:<\/p>\n

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1. Bike Path made from recycled ink cartridges<\/span><\/h3>\n

West MacDonnell National Park in Australia serves more than 120,000 visitors each year and when they decided to heavily invest in a replacement bike path and viewing platform, they came up with a genius plan to keep costs down, whilst increasing its durability and lifespan.<\/p>\n

How did they do this? They turned to a plastics recycling company Replas; Australia\u2019s leading mixed recycled plastics manufacturer, who was able to produce the 17km bike path from recycled plastics including inkjet cartridges, for just $130,000.<\/p>\n

Being manufactured from recycled plastics, the new bike path was low maintenance, resistant to moisture, resistant to cracking or splitting, and longer lasting than any concrete counterpart. What\u2019s more, it was easier to install.<\/p>\n

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header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength=”header_6_text_shadow_style,%91object Object%93″ header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px” vertical_offset_tablet=”0″ horizontal_offset_tablet=”0″ z_index_tablet=”0″]<\/p>\n

2. Plastic Roads & Carparks<\/span><\/h3>\n

Around the world, there are approximately 40 million kilometers of road. An asphalt road should last up to 15 years unless damaged during its lifetime, something that often occurs. Roads are usually made up of different materials such as sand and limestone, but around 10% of a road is bitumen, which is used to bind the other materials.<\/p>\n

Bitumen is a sticky black substance extracted from crude oil or petroleum and is transported at high temperatures to keep it in liquid form. It\u2019s difficult to produce, expensive and bad for the environment.<\/p>\n

Now Scottish start-up MacRebur<\/a> is just one of a range of companies who are replacing most of the bitumen in the asphalt they produce with recycled plastics including ink and toner cartridges, previously destined for landfill or incineration. The waste material is turned into small plastic pellets which are instead used to bind the asphalt materials.<\/p>\n

1 km of the new plastic roads uses the equivalent of 648,000 plastic bottles, is cheaper to make, and last longer than current asphalt roads, which means fewer potholes for us!<\/p>\n

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