While it is true that it is a lot easier to recycle paper if it has been printed with offset or gravure or dry toner, it cannot be recycled if it has been printed with current inkjet. Waterbased does not necessarily mean environmentally friendly because many waterbased inks cannot be recycled. This is true for inkjet inks regardless if they are dyes or toners. They are unrecyclable for new graphic paper – even in small amounts, inkjet printed papers can spoil a load of recycled paper dedicated to be recycled for newsprint or office papers.

The current inkjet inks dissolve in the process of water, and dye like a red sock in the white wash. Most inkjet manufacturers try to ignore this problem. The green process produces printed product that does not harm the environment. A company should think “green” production-wise and product-wise. One possible solution is to pass legislation to mark products that do not fit in the established paper recycling system like they do in Germany.

Ingede is a relatively unknown organization that is a key player in the greening of the print industry. They take recovered paper and recycle it to produce cardboard, packaging paper, office papers, newsprint, and hygiene paper. In the future, more recovered paper can and should be recycled.

Tags: inkjet printer, recycling

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