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http://www.sacbee.com/ourregion/story/2212196.html
California’s ‘green’ ink-cartridge recycling fails to cut pollution, or costs
On
paper, the recycling program was touted as a bold step toward
California’s green, climate-friendly future.A mountain of plastic and
metal would be diverted from landfills. Greenhouse gas emissions would
tumble. And one of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s climate change goals –
trimming power use in state buildings by 20 percent – would nudge
closer to reality as agencies snapped up new, more efficient office
printers.That is what state and Hewlett-Packard officials said last
year when they joined forces to ship used HP printer ink cartridges
from state offices to Virginia to be ground up and recycled into auto
parts, serving trays, clothes hangers and other products.But a Bee
investigation, based on more than 100 pages of e-mails and other
records, has found that 17 months after it was created, the program has
delivered few if any of its promised climate benefits.Almost
from the start it ran into opposition from the state’s purchasing
specialists at the Department of General Services, who were not
consulted about it and who – once they started asking questions –
turned up other concerns, including allegations of unfair competition
and ink waste.They also favored reusing cartridges by refilling them at
local businesses, a process known as remanufacturing.”It is to HP’s
advantage to get as many remanufacturable cartridges off the market as
possible,” Robert Tetz, manager of the department’s environmentally
preferable purchasing program, said in an e-mail to his boss last year.
“I don’t believe that this partnership arrangement passes the smell
test.”
The recycling plan is one of many purportedly eco-friendly initiatives launched in California
A
state that portrays itself as a green-minded model for the world. But
Scot Case, who investigates green marketing claims, said the state HP
plan is the wrong choice for the environment.”It is completely
ridiculous to ship a product from California to Virginia to be reground
when you could refill those cartridges in California and reuse them,”
said Case, vice president of TerraChoice Environmental Marketing, which
places the green “EcoLogo” label on thousands of consumer products –
but not on new printer cartridges.”You would use fewer resources,” Case
said. “And you would create significantly less global warming
impacts.”For their part, most DGS employees are not free to speak to
The Bee. “We have a policy that we have high-level spokespeople …
respond to questions,” said Jeffrey Young, the agency’s deputy director
of public affairs.And Tetz, the green purchasing manager, has been
ordered to clam up. “Bob, per my voicemail, I need you to stand down on
any communication with Mr. Knudson. Call me …” Jim Butler, DGS’ chief
procurement officer, said in an e-mail.But their views come through clearly in electronic correspondence.
“The
bottom line is that it is environmentally preferable and fiscally
prudent to buy remanufactured toner cartridges for state laser printers
from California small businesses,” wrote Ben Martin, an engineering
branch manager at DGS, in an e-mail to a colleague.Targeting a river of waste
Printer
cartridges are a mainstay of the modern office – and a vexing waste
problem. One 2007 industry report estimated 46 percent of the larger
kind, known as laser jet cartridges, and 84 percent of the smaller
inkjet cartridges are dumped in landfills after one use. A follow-up
study, commissioned by HP, found 34 percent of the company’s laser jet
cartridges and 78 percent of its inkjets end up in landfills after one
use.The state-HP recycling effort was aimed at shrinking that river of
waste by diverting up to 100 tons of spent state cartridges from
landfills every year. But state and HP officials said it would have an
additional benefit, striking a blow against climate change by curbing
greenhouse gas emissions by 500 tons annually.Here’s how it was
supposed to work: For every HP cartridge purchased and recycled, state
agencies would earn points toward buying new, more energy-efficient HP
printers. Top officials said that would trim power use and slice
pollution.
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