The Environmental Impact of Toner & Ink Consumption

Alongside the impact of paper, consumption exists the devastating consequences of toner and ink usage. The environmental impact of these consumables relates to their entire lifecycle, their manufacturing, the pollution that they cause during the printing process, and finally their disposal.

The Environmental Cost of Manufacturing

It takes a gallon of fossil oil to produce one laser cartridge, and 2-1/2 ounces of oil to manufacture each new inkjet cartridge. In addition, the energy used to manufacture 350 million cartridges is enough to make tens of thousands of SUVs. Ingredients in toner cartridges are toxic and contain some amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the form of solvents. GHG emissions from manufacturing a single mono toner cartridge have been calculated to approximately 4.8 Kg CO2. Using a remanufactured cartridge still emits an estimated 2.4 Kg CO2.

Indoor Pollution

Although not often brought to attention, office printers have a major influence on indoor air quality. Studies show a clear rise in the concentration of ozone, VOCs and ultrafine particles (UFPs) during operation of printers as compared to idle mode. This is prominent especially in laser printers although ink-jet printers show an increase in contaminant levels as well. Laser printer toners are filled with a fine powder-like substance more tending to disperse. These compounds and particles have both short and long-term impacts on human health, ranging from simple discomfort, fatigue and irritation to higher mortality rates due to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

Toner and Ink Disposal

The average toner cartridge is composed of 40 percent plastic, 40 percent metal and smaller amounts of rubber, paper, foam and toner. Each year over 350 million cartridges are thrown out. In 2007, there were 375 million laser cartridges and a whopping 1.5 billion ink cartridges dumped — and those numbers are expected to grow to 500 million and 1.8 billion respectively in 2012. The problem gets even worse considering that each cartridge becomes 3.5 pounds of solid waste sitting in a landfill and can take up to 450 to 1000 years to decompose, as it includes mixed resin, one of the most difficult plastics to recycle.

Winding It Up

If you thought recycled used toners will spare your conscience, think again. It's true, some recycling of toners and cartridges is better than no recycling at all, but this industry too has its problems. One of the more prominent ones is the export of used toners to third world countries (especially China) for re manufacturing.

What happens in practice is that cartridges are only seldom reused. Instead, they get swept off the residual toner and then often burned. Workers work with no protective gear, exposing themselves to various illnesses. Burning printer cartridges emit dioxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), both cancerous pollutants that pollute local rivers and lands, make their way into the food chain and affect all levels of species.