Environmental Group Fears Chips Could Kill Cartridge Recycling Business

Friends of the Earth warned that the refilling of printer cartridges could be eliminated in Europe unless the UK Government includes them in a new EU waste law which is due to be implemented this summer. The group also noted that failure to address the issue would also lead to increased costs for businesses and consumers.

Printer cartridges contain chips that record the amount of ink left in them. But some manufacturers are inserting a new type of chip that would make it impossible to reset when they are re-filled with ink. This will make re-filling impossible.

According to the Friends of the Earth, the problem could be resolved if the UK Government includes cartridges when it implements the EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive, which must take place by Aug. 13^th.

Under Article 4 of the directive, equipment must not include any design features that prevent it from being re-used, unless there is a safety or environmental reason for doing so. But, the DTI currently defines printer cartridges as 'consumables', not `equipment'. Unless the Government changes its proposals, the re-use of printer cartridges could be wiped out.