If you’ve been doing your part in the effort to recycle ink and toner cartridges and other small electronic devices but feel it’s burdensome, difficult to manage and don’t really like the idea of not getting cash back but rather reward points toward purchasing product from the company managing the recycling program, there’s now a better way.

Clover Technologies Group, the world’s leading provider of vertically integrated, closed loop environmental solutions announced the launch of Evolve Recycling, a national recycling program that pays businesses hard cash in exchange for their empty inkjet and toner cartridges, as well as other small electronics including cell phones, iPods/mp3 players, digital cameras, GPS devices and laptop computers. Clover has also become the world’s largest collector and recycler of cell phones,inkjet and laser cartridges while providing businesses with total environmental solutions.

Typical Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) recycling programs award loyalty or rewards points in exchange for their own cartridges, these programs typically pay nothing to end users and instead award points redeemable when purchasing those corporation’s new products. Evolve Recycling accepts all OEM brands and sends cash to end-user companies after reclaiming and re-manufacturing their ink and toner cartridges and other small electronic devices, in effect, moving businesses that use the Evolve Recycling program beyond recycling into reusing.

While many people think that recycling is the way to go, Reusing really holds the top spot on the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s solid waste management hierarchy of preferred environmental practices, meaning the EPA considers reuse a more desirable, sustainable approach than simple recycling. This is what we at Ink & Toner Solutions have been saying and practicing for years. Many of the OEM recycling programs are doing just that, recycling. Many times the recycling they are performing involves dismantling or even shredding the ink & toner cartridges you send them and remanufacturing them into something totally different like the HP recycling program. If you pay close attention to the wording they say they will recycle your empty cartridges. No where will you see the statement that tells you that your empties will be reused as the original product was intended to be used, namely ink and laser cartridges. The sad truth of the matter is they (the OEMs) want your cartridges so they can keep them out of the re-manufacturing industry’s hands. We as an industry practice what the EPA recommends, reusing an item for the purpose it was intended to be used for. By doing this we are giving the consumer an alternative to the high cost of ink and laser cartridges that the OEM’s are selling and they don’t like that. It has been determined that it takes less energy to reuse & remanufactuer a product than to tear it down into it’s components and rebuild it into something new.

“With corporate social responsibility becoming a customer expectation, recycling ink and toner cartridges for reuse is a simple and easy solution for companies interested in meeting their social responsibility goals,” said Jim Cerkleski, chief executive officer of Evolve Recycling parent, Clover Technologies Group. “Our launch of Evolve Recycling is an example of our continued commitment to the environment. If a business wants to take their commitment to social responsibility one step further, they can donate the money earned through Evolve to a local charity or non-profit organization, strengthening ties to their community.”

Here a sobering fact from Evolve Recycling that will put this program into focus — A comparison of Evolve Recycling to a leading OEM’s recycling program shows that for the same amount of cartridges, a user could earn enough points to purchase a $9700 printer* or receive $27,000 in cash through Evolve’s program. As you can see for companies that are recycling through an OEM approved program, they are losing thousands of dollars. The choice is clear, Evolve Recycling is doing the right thing by reusing and giving the money back where it belongs, to the companies that are taking the time to collect their empties and thus keeping them out of the landfill’s. I don’t care what any one say’s, cold cash in your hands is the way to go.

Evolve also makes this process easy, they seem to have taken the time to think of the person or company doing the recycling so as to make the process simple. They provide participating businesses with prepaid UPS shipping labels, free shipping boxes and free collection bins to support their recycling efforts. Participating businesses will receive a check the month after it recycles items worth $25 or more. Shipments valued under $25 will be credited to the business’ account until the $25 threshold is reached.

The normal supply and demand determines which items will be eligible for recycling and what those items are worth. Prices will vary from month to month due these factors. Working and non-working digital cameras, GPS devices and laptop computers have a fixed value, while broken or otherwise damaged items receive no credit.

If you would like to receive more information about the Evolve Recycling program you can visit www.evolverecycling.com. You can also find them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ahigherlevelofrecycling and Twitter @evolverecycling.

Ink & Toner Solutions, Inc completely supports this program and use them for our own empties.

*Average Internet buy price as of 7/1/12. Based on the average price paid per toner cartridge in June 2012.