Toner Cartridge Recycling – Sustainable Practices and Plastic Reuse
Recycling Canon and HP Toners
Through systems like Canon’s CARS-T and HP’s Planet Partners, both companies exemplify leadership in toner recycling and plastic reuse. These initiatives help customers contribute to sustainability and reinforce a broader industry shift toward environmental responsibility.
Let’s see how each company’s recycling initiatives work and highlight their innovative efforts in plastic reuse and the circular economy.
Canon’s Closed-Loop Recycling System (CARS-T)
Canon’s commitment to environmental sustainability is exemplified by its pioneering closed-loop recycling program, particularly the “Canon Automated Recycling System for Toner Cartridges”, or CARS-T. Since launching its toner cartridge recycling program in 1990, Canon has built systems across the globe—from Japan to the United States, France, and China—handling returned toner cartridges by model, facility, and region. Cumulative collection has reached nearly 473,000 tons by the end of 2024, enabling an estimated reduction of about 340,000 tons in new resource use. ( learn more at Canon Global)
At the heart of CARS-T is an automated, highly refined process: used toner cartridges are crushed, and their materials are automatically sorted. Canon utilizes advanced separation techniques—leveraging electrostatic properties, specific gravity, and even Raman spectroscopy (introduced in 2024 for sorting black plastics)—to achieve 99% or greater purity in recycled high-impact polystyrene (HIPS). This allows the recovered plastic to be reused directly in manufacturing new cartridges.
Canon’s recycling workflow ensures that cartridges are disassembled, and components are either reused, recycled, or—in rare cases—sent through an energy recovery process. Recycled plastics, metals, and reconditioned parts support the production of new cartridges and other products, with the goal of zero landfill waste. (learn more at Canon USA)
HP and the Planet Partners Closed-Loop Model
HP’s recycling philosophy is centered around its HP Planet Partners program, which provides convenient, customer-friendly options for recycling both ink and toner cartridges. HP encourages drop-offs at retailers such as Staples, Best Buy, Office Depot, and Walmart, or via mail with free prepaid labels included in packaging. Businesses with large volumes can even request pallet pick-up.
Once returned through HP Planet Partners, cartridges are sorted, dismantled, and shredded. The recovered materials—particularly plastic—are combined with other post-consumer plastics and reintegrated into manufacturing processes. This method helps feed the circular economy, enabling new HP cartridges and everyday products to be produced from recycled content. (learn more at HP Recycling Program)
HP’s closed-loop approach ensures nearly every part of the cartridge is either recycled or reused, minimizing landfill contributions. Materials may also be donated for social upcycling projects, sold to markets, or used for energy recovery when appropriate.
Importantly, HP has achieved significant scale: since 2000, it has reused over 199 million pounds (90 million kilograms) of recycled plastic in its cartridges, diverting the equivalent of 5,000 tractor-trailer loads of plastic from oceans and landfills. In 2017 alone, HP recycled 14,800 tons of toner cartridges and 1,500 tons of ink cartridges.
Why Plastic Reuse Matters
Plastic reuse through closed-loop systems helps reduce demand for virgin materials, cuts down on greenhouse gas emissions, and conserves natural resources. Canon’s highly purified HIPS reuse and HP’s large-scale recycled plastic integration demonstrate how manufacturers can effectively turn waste into new products. These systems not only support customer recycling but also drive circular economy principles forward.
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