City of Los Angeles Resolution Bans Use of Single-Use Printer Cartridges

The City of Los Angeles has approved a resolution to support any legislation or administrative action that would ban the import and sale of aftermarket, single-use, new-built printer cartridges, as they are harmful to the environment and cannot be recycled or remanufactured.

According to Evolve Recycling, every year in the United States, over 300 million printer cartridges with a combined weight of 150 million pounds are buried in landfills. About eight ink cartridges are thrown away every eight seconds, and a toner cartridge thrown into landfill can take up to 450 years to decompose.

Los Angeles Councilman John Lee explained: “The challenge that aftermarket, single-use printer cartridges pose to the United States from an environmental standpoint is alarming. A City Resolution was important to bring attention to the growing problem and show support for legislative or administrative solutions.”

 According to Planet Green, a U.S. ink-cartridge remanufacturer, new-built cartridges imported into the U.S. have undercut remanufactured cartridges, while also devaluing used OEM cartridges to the point they are not cost-effective for recycling.

Planet Green has also created a petition that would ban single-use cartridges, and is directed at lawmakers, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, and major online retailers. The company said that many generic cartridges sold through online platforms are falsely labeled as “Re-manufactured” to deceive consumers.