Remanufacturing FAQs
What’s the difference between recycling, reusing and remanufacturing?
These three words sound similar, but there is a huge difference between them.
Recycling means collecting used products, breaking them down and using them to manufacture some other kind of products. Unfortunately, recycling often reclaims only a portion of the used product, and it requires the use of additional energy. The remaining materials that aren’t used may be discarded into landfills. Recycling is good, but it’s not the most Earth-friendly way to handle a used product.
Reuse is when products are used a second time without repair or restoration. Reusing products is better than recycling, because it doesn’t consume additional energy. But reused products do not regain the full value of their original manufactured state.
Remanufacturing is the most sustainable, environmentally-friendly and consumer-friendly option. It means refurbishing a used product and returning it back into the marketplace as a “new” product of equal or greater value than the original. Rather than just breaking down the used materials, they are cleaned, repaired, replaced if necessary and returned to use again. Remanufacturing consumes far less energy than creating the same product from scratch.
When an empty print cartridge is remanufactured, what happens to the used components?
Most of the components in an empty cartridge are cleaned, refurbished and reused. Any parts of the cartridge that cannot be reused are sold to customers who can use them to make other useful products. The remaining materials are sent to a government-licensed disposal facility.
How many times can a print cartridge be remanufactured?
On average, ink jet cartridges can be remanufactured 4-5 times. Some low yield HP brand cartridges can be remanufactured 8-10 times due to their shorter print life.
Laser cartridges can be remanufactured on average 8-10 times due to the replacement of components such as drums, blades, and bearings during the remanufacturing process. Some low yield cartridges can be remanufactured additional times due to less wear on all components during their shorter print life.
Where are the cartridges remanufactured?
Nukote cartridges are remanufactured in our state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities. Nukote’s facilities and processes are ISO 14001 certified, employing the most advanced manufacturing technologies to ensure consistency across all product and service specifications. Our processes meet stringent environmental standards. Nukote has been acknowledged by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for our efforts to reduce the risk of climate change through green power purchasing.
What percentage of collected cartridges are remanufactured?
Nukote is working toward a zero landfill commitment for 100% of the cartridges and cartridge parts that are not suitable for manufacturing. In 2007, 98.5% of cartridges returned to Nukote were able to be reused, compared to 88% in 2006 and 80% in 2005.
What does Nukote do with the cartridges that cannot be remanufactured?
Those cartridges that cannot be reused are handled in an environmentally responsible manner. Unusable cartridges are considered biological nutrients and are broken down into their component parts.
Nukote partners with ISO14001 certified recycling partners that demanufacture our cartridges into their raw components and sell the materials to customers who can use them to make other useful products. Nukote recycling partners must pass our stringent environmental audit and are subject to unscheduled facility tours to ensure their ongoing compliance.
What should I do with my empty cartridges?
Please return them to a cartridge remanufacturer. Nukote offers a variety of collection programs for both OEM and remanufactured empties within the United States, in retail stores and through other means. To learn more about these programs, contact us at 866.527.0650.
Why should I buy remanufactured cartridges?
Because the Earth-friendly choice is also the economical choice. Extracting and using raw materials to create new print cartridges from scratch produces more pollution and uses more energy—which costs more. On the other hand, by buying remanufactured print cartridges, consumers can reduce the amount of waste in landfills, conserve natural resources, reduce energy consumption and save money.
Why should I buy remanufactured cartridges from Nukote?
Our company traces its roots back 122 years and we’ve been focusing on remanufacturing quality printer supplies since long before it became fashionable to be “green.”
Other companies are finally talking about recycling but we’ve been way ahead of them for a long time.
The people of Nukote are experts in engineering the best processes for once-used OEM cartridges and previously remanufactured cartridges, to produce reliable, 100% quality guaranteed remanufactured cartridges. The result is a longer product life cycle for each cartridge—exactly the sort of common sense, Earth-friendly product that every consumer can use for home or business printing.
By carefully remanufacturing millions of printer cartridges under strict quality control, we return to the stream of commerce resources that otherwise would be needlessly discarded. We help prevent environmental damage and save significant amounts of energy.
Nukote contracts only with upstream and downstream partners who share our commitment to environmental stewardship and who can prove that they are properly recycling our un-reusable cartridges and cartridge parts. Nukote has an in-house environmental compliance officer who develops strict environmental guidelines for collections and manufacturing.
Even after decades of work in this area, we never stop improving. Our goal is simple: zero waste.
