I have been working diligently to spread the message of sustainability in my community. In the past years, I have held campaigns for paper, plastic, e-waste and glass disposal. This summer, I took up the challenge of spreading awareness about the proper disposal of ink cartridges or toners.
Having always propagated paper recycling in a big way, I realised that another component that is excessively used along with paper are toners. They need to be recycled, too. And awareness needs to be spread about toner recycling especially since one will not find a lot of designated recycling bins for toners as we do for other recyclable commodities.
I was in for a big shock. Almost all the people I talked to, save a few, did not dispose their used toners properly. They threw them away in the garbage bin.
According to www.tonerrecycle.net, a staggering 60-80 per cent of all toners manufactured in the world go directly to the landfills. That’s more than three quarters of toners manufactured. The picture is quite grim.
The website further goes on to state that a toner can take up to 1,000 years to completely break down or decompose. As that toner lies there decomposing, it releases toxic gases into the environment as well as poisonous chemicals into the soil.
The toners contain a lot of materials that can be recycled and reused, such as plastic and metal. According to www.tonerrecycle.net, 100,000 recycled toners can save approximately 9,599 kilograms of plastic.
It’s true that toner recycling takes a little more effort. Nonetheless, it is imperative that the extra effort is made. Why? Because as inhabitants of this planet each one of us has the responsibility to protect it.
There are many organisations in the UAE that collect toners and recycle them, Emirates Environmental Group and Bee’ah being two of them.
There are also waste management companies like Enviroserve that collect toners. As per Enviroserve’s website, the collected toners are stored in their facilities and later shipped to their recycling partners in Europe. The waste product is destroyed in an environmentally responsible manner and the plastic and metal parts are “reclaimed and reprocessed”.
Through this report I urge all individuals, households, institutions and organisations to ensure that they utilise these channels and make sure that their toners go to a recycling unit and not the trash.
Print something only when necessary. Information that can be kept online should be kept there. That will not only save paper and toners but also keep your house clutter free by reducing the need to store hard copies of documents.
However, if toner usage is unavoidable, then the used toners must be disposed off in an environmentally responsible way. Students can hold toner collection campaigns in their schools and neighbourhoods and toner collection boxes should be placed in every residential and commercial area to ensure that used toners are collected for recycling.
Haider Raza, a marketing professional based in Dubai, believes that this is a topic that needs to be talked about.
He said: “The majority of people I know do not look at it as something that needs to be done. They have the luxury of owning a printer and have access to unlimited paper and ink cartridges and they print without a thought or concern. When one toner gets over, they toss it in the bin and install a new one. Little do they realise that they are harming the planet in a big way. I believe we have reached a point where the planet is no longer capable of absorbing the aftermath of any neglect. The shocking effects are there for all to see — climate change being the most obvious one.”
Vidisha Nambiar, a homemaker based in Sharjah, agrees.
She said: “Till a few years ago, I used to print a lot of my children’s study material. Then it dawned on me that I do not need to print everything. We can access the information online. There are even websites, which have online practice exercises and worksheets. I try to avail those as much as possible. I’m saving money on paper and toner and I have the satisfaction that I’m being eco-conscious.”
These oft-quoted words ring so true: “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”
Let’s make all the efforts that we can and let’s walk that extra mile and invest some time to take care of this beautiful, unique yet fragile planet.
— The reader is a pupil based in Dubai.
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