Ink bottle disposal? Dismayed I cannot recycle! Refill?

[T_H_M]

I switched from HP to Canon because of the ability to refill tanks rather than buy cartridges. I saw this as a way to reduce my enviormental impact, but it seems I was short-sighted in my evaluation. I suddenly have these sturdy bottles with a scant bit of ink left in them which I must toss in the trash! I wish there were a way to send them back for refilling .... something! If anyone knows of a company which refill or recycles these, I would love to know about it. Thanks.

[Stephen]

Honestly, I never saw this thread. I'm not sure why nobody else responded other than the Community isn't intended for official support from Canon. This piece of info isn't something everyone "just knows," it just so happens that I retain almost everything, so I thought I'd chime in. 

Regarding the bit about using non-Canon ink - our refill bottles are super cheap, so we don't really make any money off them. We don't want you to damage your printer inadvertently, that's all! 

[oycart]

I totally agree.  That is why I asked about Canon initiating a recycling program wherein the bottles could be reused.  It seems that, given the sturdiness/quality of the plastic used for these bottles, if empties are returned to Canon, they could be cleaned, and filled again.

[Stephen]

Our recycling program was mentioned above. It's pretty robust! Head over to https://canon.us/recycling to check it out! 

[oycart]

Thank you for your reply.  Because you do work for Canon, maybe you could bring this issue to someone who could verify and that bottles with no recycle symbol are, in fact, recyclable and do some kind of broadcast announcement regarding this?  Or suggest to them a recycle program where bottles could be returned to you for reuse?  Those kinds of programs engender a kind of brand loyalty.

Again, thank you for posting🙂

[oycart]

Three years ago I searched high and low for any mention of a recycling program and couldn't find squat.  The mention above didn't really imply that it was an "official" program.  I believe that posting said something like "let Canon deal with it," implying Canon would be barraged with useless and non-recyclable empty bottles that Canon would have to dispose of.

Regardless, thank you for giving us some useful information.🙂

[Stephen]

They absolutely are.
however
If the recycling in your area doesn't support the kind of plastic used in the bottle you can send them to our facility in Glouster, Virginia. We recycle everything 100% with zero landfill waste. I linked to the Canon USA page above, but you can learn more about Canon Virginia's environmental initiative HERE. Their campus is so beautiful and surrounded by gorgeous Japanese cherry blossom trees!  

[Tintype_18]

Hmm. Our local recycling center takes everything but car bumpers.

[Stephen]

You're right, it was a little snarky, but it was correct info! 😅

[Stephen]

You're lucky, John. My city used to have curbside recycling, but they stopped it because of "lack of adoption." When they had it, apparently only a handful of plastics were supported, and if your recyclables weren't clean, they had to be put in the trash. They claimed that most of the stuff people were trying to recycle went to the dump, costing more money than it was worth. Finally, we're voting to have it reinstated this year, so fingers crossed! 

[T_H_M]

The ink bottles are not in that program. Really, as another poster mentioned above, what would be great is if these very sturdy bottles could be returned and reused by Canon. Please pass that onl.