The battle between the environmental lobby and ink cartridge refilling
companies on the one hand and the printer manufactures on the other has been
going on for a Number of years.
This articles explains what the arguments are about.
When the modern ink cartridge was designed it
contained a chip that allowed the computer to read when the ink cartridge
was running out of ink. The user then purchased a new ink cartridge from the
manufacturer who had supplied the original cartridge.
Then a few bright sparks realised that the empty ink
cartridge could be punctured or un sealed and refilled with ink. Needless to
say there was a significant saving in cost to the consumer in this practice.
When the ink cartridge was refilled the chip could be
reset and the computer would accurately read the ink cartridge as full.
This led to the growth of refilling ink cartridge
companies who have sprung up all over the world and indeed to home refill
kits.
However the manufactures of these original cartridges
began to lose profits from this practice. They also felt that as they had
spent money and time designing the cartridges and held intellectual property
rights to the ink cartridges.
The designers went back to work and designed a new ink
cartridge with a chip that could not be reset, thereby striking a blow
against the ink cartridge refilling industry.
The ink cartridge refilling companies found an allie
in the environmental lobby including friends of the earth. These groups were
very keen to protect the position if the ink cartridge refilling companies
and indeed see their growth.
The reason for this is a simply one. it is the time it
takes for takes for an ink cartridge to decompose - hundreds if not
thousands of years.
In 2004 fifty five thousand people signed a petition
that was handed into downing street. The petition expressed deep concern
that the new chip would see the end of refilling ink cartridges and this
would have significant negative repercussions from an environmental point of
view.
They also spoke of the consumer who would benefit
financially from the reduced cost of refilling ink cartridges.
The ink cartridge refilling lobby and the
environmental lobby saw a solution to their problem in the EU Waste Electrical and Electronic
Equipment (WEEE)
Under Article 4 of the directive, equipment must not include any design
features which prevent it from being re-used, unless there is a safety or
environmental reason for doing so.
However there was a problem with this dirrective
because the department of trade and industry defined ink cartridges as
'consumables' and not 'equpiment'.
Put simply as 'consumables' the ink cartridges would
be excluded from the directive and the new chip preventing refilling would
be free to go ahead.
Classifying the ink cartridge as 'equipment' on the
other hand would safeguard the ink cartridge refilling process.
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