If you’re an avid printer or photocopier, you’ve probably accumulated some old ink cartridges as part of your supplies. You may have even thrown some out in the past, assuming that they couldn’t be reused or repurposed to serve another purpose. However, there are several ways that old ink cartridges can still be put to good use.
If you’re the DIY type, there are plenty of ways to repurpose those old ink cartridges. You can turn them into coasters, jewelry, or even a keychain. With a little bit of creativity, the possibilities are endless. And upcycling your old cartridges is a great way to reduce waste and save money. Plus, they make fantastic gifts for creative friends.
Here are five creative ideas for what to do with old ink cartridges
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Turn Them Into Crafts:
You can turn them into coasters, jewelry, or even a keychain.
Use Them To Clean Your Silverware:
Put an old cartridge in your dishwasher instead of buying special cleaning tablets.
Make A Paint Pen:
Duct tape an empty cartridge onto the end of a paint brush handle to create your own custom paint pen.
Create Some Art:
Cut out images from magazines and use an old ink cartridge as your palette. Great if you’re trying to build up that collection of greeting cards without breaking the bank!
Keep It Handy:
Tape one under your kitchen sink faucet so it’s always ready when you need it. Then just screw off the lid at the bottom and fill it up with water! Tilt the cartridge over and let the water fall out to clean off any extra paper residue inside. Empty again, refill with water and repeat until it looks clear.
These little inventions will help keep your hands dry while you scrub away at dishes, they’ll give you that artistic flair in school projects, and they’ll come in handy any time you have a leaky pipe or some stubborn stains on your clothes (or carpets!).
How to recycle old ink cartridges?
Everyone can make their contribution to environmental protection. However, environmental protection works best when it involves little additional effort. The easier it is to dispose of rubbish, the easier it is for the population to separate waste. The raw material resources show why waste separation is so extremely important. There is less and less of everything. Natural gas, crude oil, precious metals, etc. are almost completely degraded.
Experts assume that by 2050 there will be no more oil available. What are ink cartridges supposed to be made of? Finally, petroleum is a key ingredient from which plastic is made. If plastic waste is properly disposed of, it can be recycled and reused. This means that resources do not have to be fully exhausted and are available for longer. In Germany, the waste separation system already works very well. The paper bin, the yellow sack, residual waste and recycling centers are available to the public.
However, there are already difficulties when disposing of old ink cartridges with a print head. Old batteries can be thrown in a container in supermarkets, for example. These are collected and can then be disposed of accordingly. But how is the disposal of empty cartridges regulated? There is no container for old ink cartridges in supermarkets. Old cartridges usually end up in the residual waste out of ignorance. It is clear that the yellow bag is by no means suitable for empty ink cartridges. This is why leerdruck.de was created.
Ways to Reuse Old Ink Cartridges
Donate them
Most people don’t know what to do with old ink cartridges, so they end up throwing them away. But did you know that you can actually donate used ink cartridges? There are a few different ways to go about this. For example, some offices will take your old ink cartridges in exchange for printer credits or an in-kind donation to their favorite charity.
Another option is taking your empty cartridge down to your local recycling center and donating it as part of their recycling program. In other cases, companies like The Printery accept these types of donations and will even recycle the contents for free! It’s worth checking into what they’ll offer if you’re giving them something else while making your donation, though.
You might be able to get a toner refill coupon (this is especially great if you’re still using one of those printers where the toner has to be manually replaced). Just make sure you check before dropping off any cartridges at these locations; not all are set up for accepting these types of items.
Recycle Them
Most ink cartridges can be recycled, which is great news for the environment. To recycle your old ink cartridges, simply find a local recycling center that accepts them or contact the manufacturer of your printer. Some manufacturers even have programs where you can mail in your old cartridges and receive a discount on new ones. If there’s no recycling center near you, here are five other ways to reuse them:
- Create magnets by pouring the ink into an empty bottle with a small hole drilled into the lid
- Use old cartridges as paint pots
- Turn them into vases by cutting off the top of an empty cartridge and then gluing it back together with hot glue -Put them in a pot of water with food coloring to create unique children’s finger painting sets -Place dried flowers inside an old cartridge to make a beautiful centerpiece
- Decorate coffee mugs or glasses with permanent markers -Paint a canvas using old ink cartridges
- Use them to fill up an oil lamp
- Trace shapes onto paper using the end of a used ink cartridge
Turn Them Into Profit
With a little creativity, you can turn old ink cartridges into a profitable endeavor. Here are five ways to do it.
- Recycle the components
- Turn them into something new and useful: candles, sculptures, crafts…
- Repurpose them for an art project: prints, paintings…
- Sell them as is on eBay or Craigslist; there’s always someone who needs a refill!
- Keep them in case of emergency.
Sometimes you’ll find yourself in need of an extra cartridge, but don’t have one handy. What then? Well if you’re a planner-ahead type person, keep those old ones around so that when your printer runs out of ink at an inconvenient time (like when you’re trying to print your boarding pass), you’ll be prepared. If not, take those extra empty cartridges with you the next time you go shopping for printer supplies. You might be able to get some money back from your purchase!