Before recycling toner/ink cartridges

Just because the indicator on your printer or copier says "low toner/ink" doesn't mean it is time to put in a new cartridge.  My workplace sent out an email out to the staff today explaining what this is about and how it works.  I have included it below with permission.  Thanks, David!

ink cartridges (source)

This environmental tip is the best kind.  It not only helps to reduce waste and strain on the environment, it saves the company money!

 It’s time to talk about printer/copier toner/ink and when is it REALLY time to recycle it and when can you squeeze a little more life out of it.

 This question usually revolves around that “helpful” little indicator that tells you that it’s time to change your cartridge. Sometimes that indicator is a little warning light, sometimes it’s an annoying pop-up every time you print.  Although it may seem helpful, the only person that indicator is really helping is the manufacturer.

 The truth is, the ‘low toner/ink’ indicator is actually a VERY rough guide.  Your printer/copier has no accurate way of telling how much toner/ink is left in your cartridge and is only going off your page print count. So – if you print pages with not much ink on them – or even those pages that print accidentally that come out blank – they all count towards the page count of the life of your toner/ink cartridge.  Once a set number of pages has been printed, the warning indicator will fire off and encourage you to change toner/ink although you could still have a ¾ full cartridge.

 The ONLY thing that’s a good indicator of a low toner is fading and/or streaking on the page. Even when you start to get streaking, you can take the toner out and rock it from side to side and STILL get dozens if not hundreds of pages from that toner.

 So – please consider ignoring the little indicator next time it goes off.  Now you’ll know when you’re running out and you can help save the company some money and save the planet at the same time.

Green highlights:

• use less toner/ink cartridges 
• save money (those cartridges are expensive!)
• less waste

Will you use your toner/ink cartridges to the max?

-TJ

My first LED light bulb

I bought my very first LED bulb, which was for a nightlight, quite a while ago not realizing there had been  change in light bulb technology.  We keep a nightlight on at night near the bedrooms so that if someone gets up, they don't bump into walls.  The light bulbs I used were about 6 or 7 watts.  When I went to buy replacement bulbs I found some that were LED  and only used 0.6 watts so I decided to give them a try.  LED's also have a long lifespan, which will mean less waste going to the landfill.  

low energy LED light bulb

It wasn't until recently, when I was talking with a coworker, that I discovered that a low energy light bulb had come on the market that was better the CFL curly fluorescent bulbs.  I bought some CFL's when they first come out but I found them to be expensive, they didn't always last as long as advertised and some brands gave off a dim light.  For these reasons, I went back to buying incandescent bulbs.

Now there is a whole array of low energy, long lasting LED bulbs and I am in the process of converting my light fixtures to LED.  The LED equivalent of a regular 60w light bulb uses around 9 watts.  I even saw LED replacements for fluorescent tubes.  I am not going to throw away perfectly good light bulbs, even if they are incandescent,  so as my incandescent bulbs burn out, I am replacing them with LED's.  I can also give some of my incandescents to my children who are living in apartments.  They don't pay for electricity and since these LED bulbs aren't cheap, why spend the money to leave them behind when you move out?  For money saving coupons, go to Save On Energy.

Green Highlights:

• reducing energy consumption
• sending less to the landfill

Have you started switching your light bulbs to LED?

-TJ   

Take-out extras

When we get take-out, there are extras that are put in the bag like ketchup, salt, sugar, napkins, coffee cup lids and so on.  How often do we get more of these extras than we need or even some that we don't use at all?  These unneeded or unwanted extras will most likely end up in the garbage which is such a waste.  

When placing your order, why not take a proactive approach.  When I order Chinese take-out, we always have over half a container of sweet and sour sauce left over that gets thrown out.  Now I ask them for a smaller container.  They also include packets of soy sauce which we never use, so I am going to start asking them not to include the soy sauce.

Tim Horton's has a Take 12 coffee that you can order.  It is a large container of coffee that comes with cups, lids, stir sticks, cream and sugar.  If you know your group will not be using any of these extras, why not mention it when you place your order?  I did some tidying up in an organization's kitchen the other day and found a stack of these lids that had never been used.  They went in the recycle bin, but it would have been even better if they had not been included with the order in the first place.

unused coffee lids

  If we start speaking up and asking for only the extras that we need, we can make a difference.  Maybe the restaurant industry will take the hint and start asking customers if they would like any of these extras included with their order.  The restaurant will save money and there will be less going to the landfill.

Green highlights:

• reducing waste
• sending less to the landfill

Are you proactive when you order take-out?

-TJ         

A green gift exchange

Whether is it with family, co-workers or an organization we might belong to, it's the time of year when we get asked to take part in a gift exchange.  This year, why not make it a green gift exchange?  Instead of going out and buying something brand new,  have everyone give a gift that is used.  It could be something you already have and don't want, but someone else would appreciate or you could shop at a resale store or website.  You can find anything from china, crystal, books, tools, sporting goods, art, music, movies, jewelry and the possibilities go on.

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Here is a list of some organizations that have stores in my area (London, Ontario) to get you started.  I've included links to their websites for more information and so you can see if they have a location near you.

• Good Will
• Value Village
• Kijiji
• Bibles for Missions
• Salvation Army
• Talize
• St Vincent De Paul
• Kid Cents
• Mission Services of London

Many of the stores in this list are non-profit organizations so your purchase will be helping other people.  You could even put a bit of a twist on your gift exchange and have everyone donate something at the same time.  You can do some decluttering  and shopping all at once.    

Green Highlights:

• reusing items instead of buying something new
• donating items

Will you do a green gift exchange this year?

Think before you print

How often do we print out of habit or because we just don't think about it?  It's so easy to hit a button and out comes a printed sheet of paper.  If you really do need to print a hard copy of something, consider printing double-sided if there is more than one page.  In an office setting, often documents are printed for a paper trail (think accounting).  Since these are rarely looked at again, they can be printed double-sided.  Not only will it save paper, but also filing cabinet and storage space.  I also find it easier to handle double sided copies than single sheets and staples make files bulky and awkward. An even better solution is to not print it at all. Can it be saved as a PDF and not use any paper or ink?

I see so much unnecessary paper that it would be nice if we made more of an effort to think of these 3 thing before we print:

1. do we really need a paper copy?
2. can we print double-sided or duplex?
3. can we save it as a PDF or other computer file?

   

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Green Highlights:

• reduce paper usage
• reduce ink/toner usage
• save money by using less paper and ink/toner 

Do you print double-sided whenever possible?

-TJ

Reusable containers

Often, products we buy come in pretty or practical containers.  With a little thought, once the product is used up, these containers can be given another purpose.  This will save money by not having to buy a new container and it reduces waste.

reusable containers

  The green container was for body butter.  Now it is in the office and holds paper clips.  If you want, you can cover the words around the lid with washi tape for a fun look.  Check out your local craft store, like Michaels, for washi tape.  There was a big sticker label on the lid, but it peeled off perfectly without using water or anything.

The container with the pink lid had cake sprinkles in it.  Now it is used for beads.  The sticker label on the front of this container did not come off so well.  I used a drop of Goo Gone to get off the sticky residue.

These containers could have been recycled in the blue box, but why throw them out when they can be used for something else?

Green Highlights:

• reusing containers
• reducing waste
• saving money

What containers have you re-purposed once the product was used up?

-TJ

Recycling binders

Staples stores in southwestern Ontario has just announced that you can drop off your old binders for recycling.  This is great news!  I never liked throwing out old binders and now I can recycle them.

Teachers and students can work together to set up collection boxes in their schools.  Offices can too.
     
Check out this information that I got from the Staples website here!

Binder Recycling Program at Staples®

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If you don't know if there's a Staples store in your area, click here to find a Staples store near you! They accept all makes and models of binders.

I am going to look around and see if I still have any of those old binders laying around.  Do you have any binders you will recycle?

-TJ