A Seattle inventor by the name of Chester Carlson is generally considered the father of the modern-day office printers. In 1938, Carlson developed what is known as a dry printing process that he named electrophotography.
In the year 1953, the first high-speed printer burst onto the market by a company called Remington-Rand. This was named the Xerox, and this began the laser printer movement a few years later based on the original Xerox design with some advanced modifications.
A Humble Toner Cartridge Became a Multibillion-Dollar Industry
As the Xerox business took off, office workers and other businesses initiated a huge need for toner cartridges used to make laser printed copies. When the cartridges needed replaced, the old ones were discarded initially into ordinary trash dumps at sites across this nation and around the world.
How Toner Cartridges Used in Printers Negatively Impact the Environment
The used toner cartridges commonly used in office and household printers can cause substantial harm to the nearby environment. The solutions used in these cartridges should be considered as a toxic item. It is crucial to take the necessary precautions when getting rid of the cartridges according to top environmental experts.
Since so many residential homes and commercial businesses use these poisonous cartridges on a regular basis, this has created a substantial concern for communities trying to protect the soil, water sources, local wildlife and vegetation native in the areas where these items are discarded.
Along with the toxic chemicals used to make the toner solution, the cartridges also contain large amounts of durable plastic that can take up to 400 years to disintegrate in landfills.
Some experts in environmental waste positions caution that these time estimates are too low. Some 350+ million of these used cartridges are tossed into garbage heaps making an already bad situation much more hazardous to nearby environmental ecosystems and humans living in neighborhoods situated close to these contaminated landfills.
Recycle Used Toner Cartridges from Printers Responsibly
Many manufacturers of printers and/or copiers along with reputable businesses offering responsible printer repair and service also offer cartridge recycling programs in many areas across the country.
Modern printers that use cartridges that contain the toner needed for copying need to be discarded or recycled in the appropriate manner. Recycling programs vary depending on community trash procedures and regulations.
