See how many cartridges are recycled

MONTREAL - Recycling is usually not very fun to watch. The blue boxes are not too crowded. And I suspect that not all the time that the truck turns the corner and is produced in the landfill anyway? What really happened in some places, the value of recycled materials in the toilet.

In some cases, we are back on recycling. Just take the case of PP plastic parts water bottles. We produce 29 billion per year, and only 30 percent injection molded part are recycled, a growing number of waste (in millions of tons of media).

But the plastic water bottles are easy to recycle and earlier this week in Montreal, I saw for a good cause. Hewlett-Packard, which makes the printer cartridges, we all have to pay dearly, not just let it go to landfill. These days are removed instead of cheese - a much cleaner process.

The company began in 1991 to find the cardboard recycling (recovery of more than 300 million inkjet and laser), and is much better opportunities for the reuse of plastic. Today is a pilot project in a French-Canadian mill is no longer the crushing cartridge (a process that a contaminated mixture of plastic, metal and paper sheets) that is, the dismantling of plastic 50 percent higher yields collected. Here's how it works, according to HP, Dean Miller:

You can send your cartridges to your computer in a number of ways (there are programs in 50 countries) and the options including the possibility of return envelopes and send pre-paid credit dispersion of Staples. Anyway, goes to industrial installations like the one I attended in Montreal.

But do not break. In 2005, after five years of work, a closed-loop system HP toner, installation of Lavergne Group developed traveled alone has made recycling one million pounds of plastic per month. Closed circuit means that the new cartridge was made of plastic. HP has provided more than 500 million printer cartridges through the process in closed circuit since 2005.

The closed-loop process is like something from the movie Brazil - a combination of high technology mechanical and retro. Extraction (especially on this scale driver) is much slower than bullets crushing, of course. The disassembler manages 15 shots per minute, and thousands of hours of milling. But the result is much cleaner: the robot arm to zero outside the label, cut the plastic cover, remove the electronic innards and foam, then take the plastic bucket is in a funnel.

Once broken, the material of the cartridge with 75-80 percent of plastic bottles and waste of time (not allowing us to see that part), combined with special chemical additives to make the mixture stronger and flexible - is essential in fact the same as the Virgin of plastic.

Until recently, the process is very easy to use recyclable PET plastic, but last year polypropylene (PP) was added and nearly two million rounds of ammunition were treated with the PP.

After receiving some flak on the issue, HP has also significantly reduced the packaging of the cartridges. There is no U.S. law has imposed this type of waste reduction, but to give the so-called "green dot" laws in Europe and Asia, the impetus to such reforms. Green Dot makes manufacturers responsible for their packaging, gives them a huge motivation for many who know how to reduce the products. Buying toothpaste in the U.S. and purchase in the box, the same brand in Europe and stands on its top.

strong business lobbies European approach to discourage this, but March 25th Maine was the first state in the United States to take an extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation. And some 19 states have regulations on the obligation to support programs for electronic devices. A national law that combine everything and it is a brave legislators have made Pastor by law.

As a writer for hire, I'm always in search of an angle, and I found him in an office Groupe Lavergne a series of car parts, including a set of taillights have. They are made of recycled plastic, manufactured in the factory. Lavergne has to sign a contract with Ford Econoline plastics for the front, and because the laws of high-end vehicles European life which seeks to establish a branch to serve vehicle manufacturers in Germany.

Knowing all this, the hand, to be adopted by the urge to pull the last remaining print cartridges. Not only is there money in it