HP Planet Partners Program - Recycling Printing and Computer Supplies

What the heck is Planet Partners?

Nope it’s not a new Saturday morning show for the kids. It’s a program developed 20 years ago by HP. Yep, 20 years ago, HP decided recycling used printing supplies might be good idea, and this “green” program was ahead of its time in 1991.

The HP Planet Partners program

HP's industry-leading recycling program, HP Planet Partners, allows you to easily recycle your Original HP ink and LaserJet print cartridges for free. Since the program began 1991, customers have returned more than 320 million HP ink and LaserJet cartridges for recycling worldwide. That's over 390 million pounds of material that's been kept out of landfills.¹ What's more, many of those materials get put to use again. HP's multi-phase "closed loop" recycling process uses cartridges retuned through HP Planet Partners to produce new Original HP ink and LaserJet print cartridges.

By offering several convenient return options, HP makes it easier than ever to recycle HP supplies. Simply drop off cartridges at any HP authorized retail recycling location across the U.S. or print out a free postage-paid shipping label online. All Original HP LaserJet print cartridges are packaged with a postage-paid return label for your convenience. You can also order other shipping supplies online for free, including a bulk box and pallet pick-up for large quantities.

In 2009, customers returned and recycled 61 million HP ink and LaserJet print cartridges through the HP Planet Partners program, representing a weight of approximately 48 million pounds.

At the end of 2008, HP Planet Partners had recovered 1.71 billion pounds of electronic products and supplies—almost equivalent to the Golden Gate Bridge.

If you laid all the HP LaserJet print cartridges that have been returned and recycled through HP Planet Partners end-to-end along the equator, they would circle the earth 1.21 times.

¹Worldwide. As of 2009.
²InfoTrends, "2009 U.S. Cartridge Collection and Recycling Refresh," November 24, 2009. Study commissioned by HP.

HP’s “Closed Loop” process

The process cycle here was borrowed from an Infotrends report, and clearly illustrates the steps involved.

No original HP cartridges returned through HP Planet Partners are ever sent to a landfill, and HP never refills or resells cartridges. Instead, HP uses a closed loop process that recycles the old cartridge materials, and produces new original HP print cartridges. Up to 70% of a new cartridge is made up of recycled plastic! Go to www.hp.com/recycle.