Printer Ink and Saving the Environment

Talking about the environment and how to save it, one will think of going green. How is it that printing and printer ink plays in saving the environment. In-fact the role is great. Just think for a minute the following question "What is the main environmental concern of modern time?". The answer is global warming caused by the accumulation of CO2 or carbon dioxide gas.

Now recalling high school science, which organism is responsible for removing carbon dioxide? Well plants. Plants like trees, all sort of trees. And it's from trees too that we get the pulp to make paper. The million of tonnes of paper are printed on each year and discarded to land fills. The printer ink on them slowly leaked out and causes pollution in land fills and water sources.

Not forgetting to mentioned the millions of printer ink cartridges disposed off too into landfills and the same thing happening to the printer ink in them that leaked out and causes pollution and placing strain on the landfills too. More land fill required menas less land for living and growing food.

Thus if we can go green on our printing, we will be doing great favors to the environment and mother earth. Less trees cut down, less paper and printer cartridges ending up in landfills and less requirement on them.

What are the printing practices that's consider green and that can save the environment?

First, use remanufactured ink cartridges. These are used ink cartridges that have been recharged with new ink after cleaning, checking and testing. By using them, these cartridges are saved from ending up in the landfills and causing all the problems stated earlier.

Secondly, use ink based on plant like the soy plant. Most modern ink are petroleum based which are toxic when leaked out. They also made use of solvent which are equally dangerous when leaked into the environment. When printer ink are of soy plant origin, they have labels on them verifying their plant origin.

Thirdly, use paper with high paper recycled content. This can be as much as 70% or more, the higher the better as this means more paper are recycled and less trees cut down. Less trees cut down is good for the environment. Then buy paper that's pure white as bleaching agents had been used to achieve the white color. Go for green paper that is certified bleaching agent like chlorine free. Bleaching agents are used during the manufacturing process and after used, these agents may end up in river. By buying chlorine free paper, this makes sure no bleaching is used.

Hence the above three simple practices of selecting printer ink, ink cartridges and paper that can help to save the environment and make mother earth happy.

Read more printing ways to save the environment.