The competition for valuable Hewlett-Packard inkjet empties may get a little stiffer starting next month. In the company’s latest move to acquire cores directly from end users, all HP 58 and 59 inkjet cartridges shipped from the manufacturer starting in June will include an in-box, postage-paid return container.
HP has recently stepped up its efforts to reacquirethese newer cartridge empties through its Planet Partners return and recycling program. In December 2003, HP started including postage-paid recycling envelopes in its new HP 56 and 57 inkjet cartridge boxes. Previously, returnable HP cartridges shipped with only a prepaid return label. The new prepaid shipping containers make it easier for 58 and 59 customers to send the cartridges back to HP, according to the company.
The Planet Partners program is currently set up to recycle most HP LaserJet cartridges and several inkjet cartridge models. Empty HP cartridges received through the Planet Partners program are sent to various recycling plants where the cartridge components are broken down into raw materials for reuse in other products. HP only accepts its own cartridges for the program, citing material contamination concerns with other manufacturers’ cartridges.
HP introduced the Planet Partners LaserJet return and recycling program in 1991. The program was expanded to include inkjets in 1997. According to HP, it was the first OEM to offer an inkjet cartridge return and recycling program in the United States through its Web site.
"Our Planet Partners program is a global service our customers value and trust, and we welcome their participation," said Pradeep Jotwani, HP Imaging and Printing Group senior vice president of supplies. "HP is proud to offer recycling solutions that significantly reduce the impact on our environment."
The program has reportedly diverted 176 million pounds of printer cartridge materials from landfills worldwide. In addition, HP stated that more than 10 million LaserJet cartridges and more than 1.8 million HP inkjet cartridges were returned and recycled through Planet Partners. Customers in more than 30 countries in Asia, Europe, and North and South America have participated in Planet Partners’ recycling efforts.
Unlike Lexmark’s Prebate Program cartridges, HP Planet Partners recyclable cartridges do not ship with a legally questionable licensing agreement that seeks to prohibit remanufacturing. With reduced prices and equal to or better than OEM quality, the remanufacturing industry still offers a sensible and environmentally conscious alternative to OEM recycling efforts.
