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Business treasures ink trash
Chain’s stores recycle cartridges to save money, environment
Eco-savviness and thrift blend at Cartridge World, a printer cartridge recycling store that attracts customers interested in saving money and the environment.Cartridge World and stores like it operate on a simple concept: Rather than pay $20 or $30 apiece for new ink or toner cartridges for printers, customers can take in their old ones and have them refilled.Or, customers can buy recycled cartridges refilled with ink or toner. The end product is up to 50 percent cheaper than purchasing new.And it helps the environment.
According to Recharger magazine, a printer-cartridge trade publication, more than 300 million cartridges get tossed in U.S. landfills each year.Every remanufactured cartridge saves nearly 3 1/2 pounds of solid waste from potentially being deposited in landfills. The plastic in each toner cartridge takes 3 1/2 quarts of oil to produce, and each new inkjet cartridge requires 2 1/2 ounces of oil.Surprise resident Tim Rockwell, owner of the shop that opened in May at 17173 N. Litchfield Road in Surprise, has hopes of grabbing a piece of the nearly $10 billion-a-year cartridge-recycling industry.”When I heard that no Cartridge World store has ever failed, I was really shocked,” he said.”I mean, I’ve even seen McDonald’s close, but the fact that Cartridge Worlds don’t really got my attention.”After reading up on the cartridge-recycling trend, businessman John Slupka stopped buying new cartridges in May. He has since reported saving nearly 30 percent in printer-cartridge costs.”You’re always looking to shave expenses,” said Slupka, owner of Assist-2-Sell in Surprise.The industry’s penny-pinching possibilities helped Cartridge World surpass 1,000 stores worldwide in June. The business concept is one also used by big chains such as Staples and OfficeMax and smaller Island Inkjet kiosks in shopping malls.However, the global franchise is one of the most common and fastest-growing chains.The store is meant for cartridge recycling alone, unlike larger office suppliers selling new cartridges with a few recycled options. That popularity translates into dollars.One of the franchise’s most popular stores, in Chicago, raked in $86,000 in June. Two stores in Idaho bring in around $60,000 each month on average.Rockwell has yet to break even in his first two months. But Cartridge World’s corporate figures predict the Surprise store is on track to become profitable in its fifth month.Though the cartridge-recycling concept is wallet-friendly for consumers, printer companies are putting up a fight to keep their customers spending with many designing cartridges that are difficult to clean and refill.
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