Ah, the 3 R’s of the printer cartridge world . . . Remanufactured, refilled, and recycled. These terms are used interchangeably when it comes to referring to cartridges that are made by someone other than  your printer maker. Should we be using them interchangeably? Probably not. The only thing the three have in common, when it comes to printer cartridges, is that they are a lower cost alternative to the OEM brand cartridge.

Definition time.

Remanufactured
Remanufactured cartridges are used cartridges that have undergone any of the following processes.

• Disassembly
• Cleaning/Inspection
• Repair or replacement of worn parts
• Refilling of ink or toner
• Reassembly or resealing
• Testing
• Packaging for resale

Remanufactured cartridges are also referred to as “aftermarket cartridges” and are the best option for those making a choice between the three different “R” cartridges. Most remanufactured cartridges go through a few of the above steps. A remanufacturer that is concerned about quality (not all are) will do through all of the above steps.

Refilled
Refilled cartridges are used cartridges that have been refilled with ink or toner for reuse. They are often called “Drill and Fill” cartridges because you often have to drill some sort of hole in to the cartridge in order to get the ink or toner inside. These cartridges are not as good as remanufactured cartridges because the refilling process does not involve any of the testing or cleaning components listed above.

If you want to argue semantics, you could effectively say that refilled cartridges are actually remanufactured cartridges. Look down the list of criteria for a reamanufactured cartridges. Refilling of ink or toner is on the list. Don’t miss the point though, refilled cartridges are just that, cartridges that have had their ink/toner refilled. Nothing more. Remanufactured involves processes of cleaning, testing, and sealing.

Recycled
Recycled is a broad term that could be used to explain both of the above types  of cartridges. I think I would prefer we use the, less glamorous, term REUSE. The word recycle has a few different definitions, but most refer to “the treating or processing of an object to make it suitable for reuse”. Recycling is a process of making things reusable so nothing ends up in a landfill.

So, when you use a remanufactured printer cartridge, you are reusing an existing cartridge along with some new components.The new components could be made of recycled materials. The empty cartridge is inspected, cleaned, then paired with new parts to reform a working printer cartridge.

Refilling is the ultimate in reuse, and by definition, not recycling at all. You are taking the same cartridge yo used before, filling it up with ink, and using it again. No components are replaced. Nothing is disposed of. Environmentally, refilling is the best way to go. You just keep using the same cartridge until it cannot be used any more. You have no need for new materials.

Did you know that OEM cartridges can also be considered recycled cartridges? For as much slack as the OEM’s get they deploy empty cartridge collection programs that allow them to grind up the materials that make up a printer cartridge and then use those materials to make new printer cartridges. The OEM cartridges you buy all contain a certain percentage of post consumer waste materials.

So there you have it, the 3 R’s of printer cartridges . . . Remanufactured, Refilled, and Recycled. Don’t let people use these terms interchangeably and assume they mean the same thing.  They all refer to a different type of product.

Let me know what you think of the 3 R’s. Thanks!