Recycling Programs Gone Wrong

The Chinese city of Guiyu has become one of the world's dumping grounds for OEM cartridges intended for "recycling". Heaps of empty cartridges line the streets and riversides after being scavenged for their toner. Here, drinking water must be brought in by truck or bicycle because the burning of styrene - and other cartridge and computer components - has raised the river's toxin levels to 200 times acceptable drinking levels. School children display overwhelming propensities to asthma and other conditions related to the town's industry of choice: electronic waste stripping.

Toner cartridge scavenging amounts to a large percentage of Guiyu's e-waste economy... and devastation. As reported in the International Imaging Technology Council's Imaging Spectrum magazine, Guiyu is a living testament to the real motivation behind the OEM's recycling and return programs, which is to keep the empties out of the hands of toner remanufactures.

How Can You Help?

If you want to help with this widespread problem call one of US Recycling's program directors and start your recycling program today. We will walk you through every step of how to dispose of your empty cartridges, cell phones and old computer equipment.