HP's Planet Partners Return and Recycling Program

Designed to make our planet more green, HP's Planet Partners program is a service worth noting. Recycling is not new to HP, however. They have been working on it since 1987, and the Planet Partners program got started back in 1991. According to HP's corporate website, since the beginning of their program, they had recycled more than 1 billion pounds of computer hardware and HP print cartridges globally through 2007. Their goal is to reach 2 billion by the end of 2010.

The Process

Products sent into HP are put through an up-to-date facility where they are shredded and sorted according to what it is. Things like ink and toner are disposed of in an environmentally friendly way. Plastics and metals are stripped back down to their raw state and then remanufactured into new HP products such as computers, cartridges, and printers as well as some non-HP products like shoe soles, automotive parts, and more. There is never any charge for recycling of HP inkjet cartridges or laser cartridges, and charges will vary for recycling of both HP and non-HP hardware. For more information check go to HP's recycling page on their corporate website.