Guy Brown, Vanderbilt’s partner for ink and toner cartridge recycling, had a record-setting year in 2015. The overall number of cartridges recycled, the recovery rate of cartridges, and donations made from recycling proceeds were at all-time highs in 2015, resulting in the donation of $6,000 each to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, the Susan Gray School, and the Work/Life Connections–EAP Faculty and Staff Hardship Fund from recycling these items.
Vanderbilt staff recycled more than 13,700 cartridges, with a 63 percent recovery rate—almost double that of 2014. Vanderbilt has numerous convenient drop-off locations for recycling of copier, fax, laser and ink jet toner cartridges, regardless of brand or where they were purchased, at the following locations:
- Commons Center, Kissam Center, and Sarratt Student Center (main desks);
- Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (ride the elevator to the bottom floor);
- Peabody Library;
- Medical Research Building III (3rd floor lobby);
- Baker Building lobby; and
- Commodore Concierge locations in Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Medical Center North main lobby; Children’s Hospital second floor off the skybridge from South Garage).
Ink and toner cartridges for printers, fax machines or copiers contain chemicals that could be hazardous to the environment if landfilled and left to leak into the soil and groundwater. Additionally, the materials used for the casings (plastic and metals) do not readily biodegrade. Thus, it is preferable to recycle these materials to keep them out of landfills.
For more information on the Vanderbilt recycling program, visit the Sustainability and Environmental Management Office website or contact SEMO at recycle@vanderbilt.edu or (615) 343-2784. For more information about Guy Brown, visit the company’s website or contact Shauna Mason at shauna.mason@guybrown.com or (615) 967-6085.