Cartridges 4 Planet Ark, Planet Ark's printer cartridge recycling program, has pledged its support for Surfrider Foundation Australia (SFA) and will donate one cent per printer cartridge dropped off by Australians during May to support the foundation's efforts in keeping Australia's oceans and beaches clean.
SFA was founded in 1991 and has dedicated itself to protecting Australia's coastlines since. It has recently launched the Ocean Friendly campaign, which aims to reduce the amount of single use plastic used by businesses throughout Australia's extensive coastline communities.
Claire Bell, Planet Ark's Recycling Campaign Manager, said that it was only natural that the two work together on reducing plastic waste.
"Cartridges 4 Planet Ark has helped to ensure plastic and other valuable materials are reused instead of being sent to landfill for over 16 years, we felt it was high time we recognised the efforts of other not for profits doing their part to keep plastic out of the environment."
Susie Crick, the National Chairperson of SFA, agreed that it's important to rethink our dependence on plastic.
"We all live downstream, so any waste that we capture on land will ensure a healthier and cleaner ocean."
The announcement comes at the same time as new Planet Ark commissioned research from Pollinate which has found that 74% of Australians think that manufacturers should take more responsibility in managing their products' end of life.
That same research found that community appetites for policy solutions to plastic waste are growing. Only 14% opposed tax incentives for product manufacturers who use recycled plastic, and surprisingly only 20% disagreed with a proposal to introduce a levy on plastic products to reduce consumption.
Cartridges 4 Planet Ark is built on corporate responsibility, with major printer companies Brother, Canon, Epson, HP, Konica Minolta and Kyocera backing the program.
So far Australians have returned over 41 million cartridges, or enough to fill 82 Olympic swimming pools. These have been turned into a range of products, with the help of the program's resource recovery partner Close the Loop, including Enviroliner pens, eWood garden beds and Tonerplas road surfaces.
Cartridge collection boxes can be found at all Officeworks stores as well as participating Australia Post, Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, The Good Guys, Office National and Office Depot outlets. To register for a free cartridge collection box at your workplace or to find your nearest retail drop-off location visit cartridges.planetark.org or call 1300 763 768.
