NEWBERRY — What happens to the countless empty ink cartridges after they are replaced in our offices and homes? Keep Newberry County Beautiful is looking to take those off your hands with its inaugural Ink Drive taking place throughout August.
Danielle Rowe, executive director for Keep Newberry County Beautiful, said the ink drive is being done through FundingFactory and is similar to the shoe drive held earlier this year.
“It’s to raise money for other programs for Keep Newberry County Beautiful,” Rowe said.
Toner and ink cartridges will be accepted, no matter the brand. Rowe said she received a list of acceptable toner and ink cartridges from Funding Factory, but if someone turns in something that is not acceptable, she will make sure they are recyclable somewhere else.
Rowe said she noticed how many ink cartridges were being wasted and after doing some research, she thought it would be a good way to raise money for future KNCB programs.
FundingFactory will donate anywhere from 20 cents to $2 per cartridge turned in, depending on what it is, Rowe said. The company provides a free label and shipping materials on items.
Because Keep Newberry County Beautiful is all grant-funded, Rowe said efforts such as these provides them with extra income. KNCB receives approximately $8,000 per year in grants.
“The more money we get in, the more projects we can do,” Rowe said.
Programs such as Camp Conservation can be provided at no cost to the community using monies from efforts like the ink drive and shoe drive when they are successful.
Rowe said the camp was free this summer because they had budgeted so much in fundraising. Overall, there were about 40 youth who participated in Camp Conservation this year, Rowe said. One of the days was centered around Keep Newberry County Beautiful where they learned about recycling and even made their own paper, teaching them how paper was recycled.
Because ink and toner cartridges are not biodegradable, Rowe encourages residents to turn those in not only to help their efforts, but to keep them out of landfills.
According to fundingfactory.com, reprocessing one empty toner cartridge averts 2.5 pounds of solid waste from being placed in a landfill. Recycling one printer cartridge prevents natural resources such as oil from being used to produce a new one.
To participate, request a bag, similar to those used in the shoe drive, and fill it up. But if you only have a few cartridges, call Rowe at 803-276-1978, ext. 101, or drop them by her office at 719 Kendall Road in Newberry.
Rowe said FundingFactory said 20 items or 20 pounds minimum would fit in a bag. A bag will hold no more than 40 pounds, she said.