Barina Barrientos
The ENCORE and Oasis programs are the newest supporters of a printer cartridge recycling effort.
By recycling empty printer cartridges, students can help support the programs, which are a partnership that works together to provide lifelong learning to the older adult community.
With the money they get from recycling the cartridges they help fund their programs.
This recycling program was handed over from the Foundation for Pierce College to the ENCORE program a little more than a month ago.
Ida Blaine, ENCORE director, said she does not know what to anticipate yet since it has just begun.
Kathy Zanghi, financial manager of the Foundation said they felt ENCORE would have enough time with all its volunteers to maintain the program. The Foundation, which is aimed to help programs on campus, felt that this recycling program could help fund ENCORE.
Several locations have been established around campus where empty cartridges can be deposited.
This includes the foundation building outside Faculty Office Building 2600, the bookstore, Info Tech, the mail room, cafeteria, music department and the ENCORE and Oasis office in the Village 8310.
They will also pick up toners and inkjets at any department. They soon hope to contact local community business to ask for their support as well. Crazy Inkjets, which picks up all the empty print cartridges around campus, accepts all brands of cartridges.
For safety, they ask that cartridges be packaged in their original packaging or bubble wrap, a Ziploc bag, plastic bag or any other packing material.
“This program is mainly helping the environment by recycling,” said Blaine. “And people are supporting the ENCORE program at Pierce.”
In the past, the Foundation received about $600 between the last two years.
The amount varies every couple of months depending on how many empty ink cartridges are deposited.
In February, when the program still belonged to the Foundation, they received $132 for the past couple months.
Students such as Soledad Marin were not aware about this program at Pierce.
She said, “It would be useful when [she] needs to recycle.”
She usually just mails them back from work.
Business office worker Delia Porras said she sends the empty print cartridges back to the company in the recycling bag that comes in the box.
According to Planet Green Inc.’s online statistics, it takes two and a half ounces of oil to produce an inkjet cartridge and three and half quarts of oil for a laser cartridge.
The plastic used to produce cartridges will take more than 10 centuries to decompose.
Depending on how much the program “beats the bushes” said Zanghi, the more empty print cartridges and funds they will receive.