Europe’s hopes and dreams for a circular economy are continuing to fail, it’s no secret. Countries still continue to ship their plastic waste, burn it, or dump it in landfills, while the plastic industry continues to wield its’ enormous influence and act against accordance with initiatives that have been set out by the government and various environmental powers.
An average European produces around 35kg of plastic waste on a yearly basis, with this number continuing to rise. According to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), the average amount of plastic waste per person will triple by 2060, which is unacceptable, considering the impact our current level of pollution is already having on the planet.
What’s made worse by this is, contrary to what most people think, the majority of plastic packaging isn’t recycled correctly, often ending up in landfills or causing pollution via incineration. Estimations show that only around 40% of plastic packaging that is generated across Europe is recycled correctly.
Due to the unfortunate combination of an increase in demand for plastic and a severe lack of, or limitation of recycling industries, we’re likely to experience dramatic consequences in the years to come if politicians, businesses and people, just like yourself don’t act now.
Whether it be a small or big change in something that you or your company do, the sooner you start to make a change the better. One way which you could start to have an immediate impact is by recycling your used toner and ink cartridges with us. We don’t send anything to landfill and always ensure that your used cartridges are either remanufactured or shredded down into their original materials in order to be used again within another life cycle.