Cartridge World Says, "Please Don't Feed the Landfill".

International Ink Cartridge Retailer is Educating Consumers and Businesses to Keep Cartridges out of Trash Bins and Offers Tips for a 'Greener' Home and Business

EMERYVILLE, Calif. -- A discarded printer cartridge thrown into a landfill can take up to 450 years to decompose. With over 350 million cartridges thrown out every year, a mountain of e-waste is steadily forming throughout our nation's landfills. Since printers are commonplace in every home office and business, it makes sense to reuse and refill empty ink and toner cartridges.

"With our continued commitment to recycling, we look forward to the day when reusing and refilling cartridges is as common as separating waste materials in our homes," said Peter Hasko, executive chairman of Cartridge World, an international retail leader in printer cartridge remanufacturing. "Recycling programs for cans, bottles and papers are mainstream, but few realize the additional impact they can make by reusing and refilling printer ink cartridges." www.cartridgeworldusa.com

As Earth Day is approaching, it is the perfect time of year to remind consumers of the ways to create a 'green' home and work environment. Implementing green practices at times can be costly but, by refilling printer cartridges at Cartridge World, consumers will actually save money and help the environment at the same time. Cartridge World has developed programs to make recycling printer cartridges easier for consumers and businesses.

Customers simply swap out an empty, original cartridge or purchase one already refilled and find a significant savings compared to buying new. Recycling bins are also stationed at all Cartridge World retail locations for the general public to drop off their empty cartridges.

Cartridge World recommends the following tips for an environmentally friendly home office/business:

* Refill and reuse empty printer cartridges - Empty ink jet and toner cartridges can be refilled and reused multiple times.

* Use rewriteable CDs and DVDs so they can be re-used again.

* Print double-sided.

* Decrease margin areas to fit more copy on a page.

* Double-check your drafts before you print.

* Communicate with team members about who will bring printouts to meetings.

* Turn off all electrical equipment at night.

Cartridge World reports some shocking ink and toner cartridge facts:

* It takes about a gallon of oil to make a new toner cartridge. This will help save oil, especially with the current gas/oil situation.

* Almost eight cartridges are thrown away per second in the United States.

* In North America alone, over 350 million cartridges per year are discarded in our landfills, and that number increases by 12 percent annually.

* Every remanufactured cartridge saves nearly 3.5 pounds of solid waste from being deposited in landfills.

* Seventy percent of used printer cartridges throughout the world are currently being thrown out

* In one year, if the world's discarded cartridges were stacked end-to-end; they would circle the earth over three times.

Businesses can also help protect the environment and save money by participating in the Business Direct program, which allows businesses to set up accounts with Cartridge World. The local franchise retailer then picks up the empty toner cartridges; refills and delivers each back to the business (most offer free pick-up and delivery for qualified businesses.) Businesses are saving hundreds to thousands of dollars each year by using Cartridge World's remanufactured and 100 percent guaranteed products.

Cartridge World's customers are making a difference in the environment by keeping millions of empty cartridges out of trash bins.

"Officially Earth Day is April 22nd, but at Cartridge World, it's everyday," adds Hasko.

About Cartridge World

Emeryville, CA - based Cartridge World is the world's fastest growing ink and toner refilling retailer and franchisor in the $80 billion printer cartridge industry. The company refills and remanufactures inkjet and toner printer cartridges, using state-of-the-art processes and high quality inks and toners. It offers consumers and businesses a more affordable option to buying new, provides a 100 percent satisfaction money-back guarantee and helps the environment by keeping cartridges out of landfills. Voted #1 in the category of toner replacement services by Entrepreneur Magazine Franchisee 500, Cartridge World has more than 1,600 franchised retail locations in 61 countries. For more information call (888) 99-REFILL or visit www.cartridgeworldusa.com.