Waste Ink

[Print1]

If absorbent is used, it will eventually air dry into a solid, but yes to speed it up toss out in sun prior to disposal and it will solidify

 

[Stacey K]

Whether you have it carted off by people in hazmat suits or just toss it in the trash, it will have the same effect. None whatsoever.

There is some truth to this. My brother in law worked for a dump company and he said most of the time all the recycle bins we had in the city on garbage day went in the dump in the same place as the garbage, it didn't get separated. He never separated his garbage from recycles as it was a waste of time. Now some of our garbage trucks have cameras on them so you get a fine if they catch you.

 

[Print1]

There is some truth to this. My brother in law worked for a dump company and he said most of the time all the recycle bins we had in the city on garbage day went in the dump in the same place as the garbage, it didn't get separated. He never separated his garbage from recycles as it was a waste of time. Now some of our garbage trucks have cameras on them so you get a fine if they catch you.

That’s very true. They started putting cameras in when people dumping tires and mattresses really was a problem not long ago. When they dump it at the dump, any of these things would be seen and they audit the trucks. So anything liquid, bulk waste, tires, mattresses etc would cause that

 

[Superior_Adam]

I wasn't able to find a thread that had been started. Just wondering what you all do with waste ink? Are there any companies that handle it or do you just turn it in at recycling events?
Thank you.

Find a local hazardous waste company. They will drop off a 55 gallon drum. You call when its full and they come swap it out. We used to do the litter deal but with 9 printers now that was taking too long. I think the last time they picked up we paid $350.00 for the disposal.

 

[bob]

Until you get reported or caught, the. They will shut you down, fine you and you get to spend the next foreseeable future under the microscope. Maybe hold back opinions when someone is searching for actual advise

Ridiculous. Reported? Caught? For tossing a relatively minuscule amount of waste ink is the trash? By whom? Convicted of such heinous behavior by what court? As one of my old philosophy mentors was wont to say, don't be an a$$. Although he spelled it properly.

 

[Stacey K]

I've made a hand full of signs for apartment buildings in the area that state they renter will get a fine if the landlord gets one...something to that effect. I know two people who got $30-ish fines. Garbage day is Monday so I'm guessing the garbage men are crabby from the Packers always losing on Sundays...LOL

 

[Black Star]

I wait for sunny day and lay down a 4' x 8' piece of cardboard. I pour the waste ink on the cardboard and let it air dry for a few days before throwing it in the garbage. That's what my distributor recommended.

 

[DL Signs]

A lot depends on where you're at. Every jurisdiction has their own regulations, and in some even throwing your spent ink cartridges in the dumpster is a no-no. Here it's legal to dispose of inks, paints, etc, as long as they're a solid, whether you pour them into kitty litter, or onto cardboard like others are doing, once they dry they're solid waste. It's still not a preferred method, but legal, no different than disposing of already printed material. It's OK if you have a small amount, but if you have a lot, or with UV inks, it's better to just get a service to handle it for you, plus it's way more convenient.

 

[victor bogdanov]

About 200 yards from my shop, there was a dry cleaning shop in the 80's where the owner poured waste dry cleaning chemicals down the septic system drain. The area around that shop is still a EPA superfund site and the dry cleaning owner might still be doing time.

Right now all those chemicals are rising back to the surface and there is a greenhouse type structure over the area to capture and clean the vapors, put in by the EPA

EPA is out here a few times per year, I make sure to save my waste ink and take to proper chem disposal


https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/S...fuseaction=second.Cleanup&id=0605460#bkground


"The source of Site contamination is the former Bell Dry Cleaners facility, which was located within the Cypress Shopping Center at 11600 Jones Road, approximately one-half mile north of the intersection of Jones Road and FM 1960, outside the city limits of northwest Houston, Texas. The Cypress Shopping Center was constructed in 1984, and the former Bell facility began dry cleaning operations sometime in 1988. The former Bell facility continued operating through May 2002 when the dry cleaning operations were shut down. The hazardous substances present at the Site include tetrachloroethylene, also known as perchloroethylene (PCE), and related breakdown products, trichloroethylene (TCE), 1,2-dichloroethylene (DCE), and vinyl chloride (VC)."

 

[Notarealsignguy]

A lot of these things are legal as a homeowner but not as a commercial business. You can do a lot of things and never get caught, doesn't make it right. The biggest issue with such small quantities is that it's hard to find a haz waste service to come for less than a 55 gal drum. We have this issue with our waste oil because everyone has a 150 gal min. It takes us a couple years to fill 1 55 gal drum so what are you supposed to do with it? We dump our ink with our waste paint so it's easy. 3-4 times a year they come get the drum, drop off another and give you a receipt that even Walgreens would be jealous of.

 

[Farmboy]

Wasn't my intentions to start a debate, but that's the unfortunate outcome from a simple question anymore. I'll look into a local recycling event or find a waste handler. Thank you.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

About 200 yards from my shop, there was a dry cleaning shop in the 80's where the owner poured waste dry cleaning chemicals down the septic system drain. The area around that shop is still a EPA superfund site and the dry cleaning owner might still be doing time.

Right now all those chemicals are rising back to the surface and there is a greenhouse type structure over the area to capture and clean the vapors, put in by the EPA

EPA is out here a few times per year, I make sure to save my waste ink and take to proper chem disposal


https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/S...fuseaction=second.Cleanup&id=0605460#bkground


"The source of Site contamination is the former Bell Dry Cleaners facility, which was located within the Cypress Shopping Center at 11600 Jones Road, approximately one-half mile north of the intersection of Jones Road and FM 1960, outside the city limits of northwest Houston, Texas. The Cypress Shopping Center was constructed in 1984, and the former Bell facility began dry cleaning operations sometime in 1988. The former Bell facility continued operating through May 2002 when the dry cleaning operations were shut down. The hazardous substances present at the Site include tetrachloroethylene, also known as perchloroethylene (PCE), and related breakdown products, trichloroethylene (TCE), 1,2-dichloroethylene (DCE), and vinyl chloride (VC)."

That is a very common issue with old dryclean sites. The chemical used was called PERC.

 

[ikarasu]

We have a recycling facility every other block. You can bring paint cans, ink containers it whatever you want to them, it's convenient.

We do the 55 gallon barrel thing because we do a lot of screen printing and other chemical stuff - so we fill one up every year and just call it in.

IIRC, last time this was brought up a lot of states / cities allowed the kitty litter method .I'm sure it's not good for the enviroment... But it's still better than just dumping it down a drain.


HP allows you to return as many or as little latex ink carts back to them, and they even supply a pre paid shipping label. A few staples near me allow us to bring in our empty uv / solvent carts as well... They say they take them just fine, but I don't know if they throw them in with the inkjet stuff and just presume it's all the same... A few staples said they don't accept them, so must be a reason!


Everything we do polutes the earth. I'm betting your commute to work pollutes it more than dissolving ink in kitty litter does...

Check your local regulations. Personally I wouldn't ignore them - we get audited every year, they even check our drains for remnants of stuff that shouldn't be going down there - we use a lot of chemicals though, and we're in the Canadian version of California .. so they're strict and take everything pretty serious here.

You may get by for 20 years doing it the "wrong" way, but the day they catch you doing it that way... Or the day a disgruntled employee snitches on you.... They're like the IRS, you'll be backdated as far as they're legally allowed to, and it'll hurt.