Konica Minolta's Print Cartridge Plan Recycling

Konica Minolta Printing Solutions Europe has extended its return cartridge recycling programme - the Clean Planet Programme - to include additional countries in Europe.

Konica Minolta Printing Solutions Europe has extended its return cartridge recycling programme - the Clean Planet Programme - to include additional countries in Europe and to improve the way of recycling.

Since the programme's inception in 2001, Konica Minolta has offered a free cartridge return service in 16 European countries.

In the second half of 2006, the programme will be expanded to cover additional EU countries, including Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia.

The Clean Planet Programme encourages customers to return free of charge their used toner cartridges by accessing the Clean Planet website, printing out a return label and mailing the cartridge to the Cartridge Collection Centre.

Konica Minolta said that it is one of the first vendors to implement cartridge shredding as a part of its environmental recycling policy.

Plastic parts extracted from toner cartridges are first pulverised, then melted, and moulded in to new plastic parts for reuse.

This not only eliminates the traditional landfill method, but it is one of the most effective recycling measures to help reduce waste whilst helping conserve natural resources.

Konica Minolta anticipates recycling more than 150,000kg of toner cartridges in 2006.

In addition, the comany's printers are fully WEEE (Waste, Electronic and Electric Equipment) compliant.

WEEE is a legislative directive that makes suppliers responsible for the safe and environmentally sound disposal of end of life equipment.

"The expansion of the Clean Planet Programme not only brings our environmental policies to additional countries in Europe, but also encourages customers to recycle our cartridges in the most ecologically-friendly way so they don't end up in a landfill," said Mark Lloyd, managing director of Konica Minolta Printing Solutions UK.

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