FAQs
Click here to find your nearest collection point.
Register online to our program to receive a collection box.
If you are a registered customer, click here to organize the collection of your full bag of cartridges. All you need to know is your 6 digit identification number located on the label on your bag. If you are unsure of this number, just call us on 1800 24 24 73.
Batteries must not be placed in our collection boxes.
Batteries cannot be placed in our collection boxes/bags for transportation through our courier network. Companies found to be returning batteries will be contacted and advised to stop. If it continues, then Close the Loop reserves the right to remove the collection service altogether.
To find your nearest household battery collection location, follow the links below:
Mobile phones can now be placed in our boxes! HOWEVER please contact our customer service team to order mobile phone satchels. We can only accept mobile phones if they are placed in one of our special satchels and a warning sticker is placed on the black cartridge bag. This is a health and safety issue so please do not place mobile phones into the box without following the correct process.
You can download a printable poster, email template, intranet information and pictures here. If you are a large corporation and need more assistance with how to set up the program and communicate it with you staff simply email info@closetheloop.com.au and one of our customer service team members will contact you to discuss options.
Customers who use the Close the Loop program can receive reporting on total items/weight of materials diverted from landfill. Resource Recovery Certificates are available for your workplace to prove how much your company has diverted from landfill.
This information can be used in Environment Reports and / or Sustainable Development Reports.
You can also demonstrate your environmental commitment by purchasing rulers, pens or outdoor furniture made from plastic recovered during printer cartridge recycling.
Not all printer and cartridge manufacturers take responsibility for the end of life management of their products. Make sure you purchase printers and cartridges from manufacturers that support our recycling programs.
The other way you can support our programs is through the purchase of recycled Enviroliner pens and eWood products.
The preferred way to place your used cartridge is horizontally into your bag. Place the cartridge carefully into the bag to avoid a puff of toner dust entering the air when hitting the bottom of your bag. Placing your cartridge horizontally also ensures no seeping of ink.
You can purchase Enviroliner pens directly from us. Pens are also available through participating Officeworks and Postshop outlets and Officeworks online.
eWood planks, garden kits and outdoor furniture are available from eWood Gardens and their stockists.
Material recovery processes ensure that valuable materials are not disposed of as waste and are instead reused. Close the Loop has a ‘Zero Waste to Landfill’ guarantee and manages resources in accordance with the Close the Loop materials recovery hierarchy; the hierarchy focuses on returning materials to the highest possible value chain. Close the Loop works with original equipment manufacturers to identify and improve recycling and material recovery rates.
To give some idea of the benefit for the planet, for every 1 tonne of print consumables collected, recycled and recovered by Close the Loop, over 10 times more carbon is saved through the avoided use of virgin materials.
The products recovered from the Close the Loop process include plastics, metals (ferrous and non-ferrous), ink and toner. Metals are sent for smelting in Australia. Plastics are separated by plastic type where possible and refined. The refined product is then sold as a raw material for manufacturing in Australia and elsewhere in the world. Specific inkjet plastics along with inkjet ink is used to manufacture the Enviroliner pens. Ink is also refined and mixed and sold as a printing ink for flexographic applications. Some of the recovered plastic goes into making eWood.
The Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) available from the manufacturer provide comprehensive information about the environmental and health & safety hazards and risks associated with use and disposal of cartridges. Placing a cartridge in a bag for recycling is the same as placing a cartridge in a bag for landfill disposal; in both cases the cartridges are intact and the exposure to toner or ink is extremely low.
The materials used in the manufacture of toner and ink have all been assessed and passed as safe for use. Concern has been expressed about some of the ingredients of these products but this must be put in context. Toner and Ink are safe to use and handle in line with the manufactures guidelines; deliberate ingestion or inhalation is not recommended and should be avoided. The use of the products in printers and deposits in collection boxes for recycling is considered safe.
Normal use of a product will result in minimal exposure, this has been assessed by the manufacturer and details of the related hazards (and risks) are on the MSDS. Disposal in landfill will result in the release of toner and ink into the landfill although this may or may not result in a leak to the surrounding environment; landfills should be lined to prevent releases. Cartridges do not degrade in landfill therefore the environmental risk of methane (and other greenhouse gas) generation is low. The land filling of material results in the loss of the materials and prevents recycling taking place. Many cartridges also use engineering grade plastics which will take hundreds of years to break down in a landfill environment. Please visit the manufacturers website from more information; you should be able to download copies of their MSDS or contact them to discuss further.
Toner and ink are safe to use and handle in line with the manufactures guidelines; deliberate ingestion or inhalation is not recommended and should be avoided. The use of the products in printers and deposits in collection boxes for recycling is considered safe.
It’s important to follow the manufacturer’s guidance on the handling of toner and other cartridges. The Materials Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) show that the products are not hazardous waste, although care should still be taken not to inhale or ingest significant quantities as the ingredients they contain are often classed as irritants. Virtually all products we use in our day to day life have some hazardous properties associated with them and it is important to evaluate and ensure all products, including cartridges are treated with due care and attention. After changing a cartridge, it is recommended that you wash your hands. When sealing a collection bag within the Close the Loop collection box, it is recommended that the neck of the bag is gently twisted, facing away from the body and tied using the cable ties supplied.
Tying off and lifting it out of the collection box should not result in the exposure to toner and the risks should be no greater than disposing of print consumables in a bin for disposal. Please ensure the weight of the bag does not exceed 16kgs.
Please refer to the product MSDS. Close the Loop recommends that eyes are immediately washed out and that skin is washed with soap and water if exposed to ink or toner powder.
Registered customers are able to receive Resource Recovery Certificates or annual detailed returns reports.
For large corporate customers with multiple sites, we can provide you with a returns report detailing the quantities, weights, brands and descriptions of products returned for recycling by location.
Our services range from environmental consulting and Design for Environment through to global take-back, bulk waste and counterfeit destruction. All services that Close the Loop provides are ISO compliant and will assist the manufacturer in meeting their environmental and sustainability requirements for an end of life management solution for cartridges. See our services page for more information.
You can purchase Enviroliner™ pens directly from CtL. If you are a member, please raise a support ticket with your enquiry.
If you are not a member and wish to purchase pens, please contact our Sales Manager at Peter@closetheloop.com.au
Any bag returned to CtL must adhere to the below attributes:
- 100% of the product returned must be of a supported OEM brands
- Non-program materials must not be present. These include, but are not limited to:
- Packaging (Foam, cardboard etc.)
- Printer Parts
- Audio devices
- CDs
- Computer Parts
- Modems & Routers
- Fax Rolls, Ribbons
- Landline Telephones
- Mobile Phones & Accessories
- Batteries
- Stationary
- Full bags must not weight less than 8KGs or more than 16KGs
- Full bags must not contain less than 17 program related items
Where these guidelines are breached, CtL reserves the right to discontinue subscription services at sites. For more information, please refer to our Terms & Conditions
A full bag is a bag that weighs between 8KG and 16KGs and has enough length at it’s top to safely tie off with our supplied cables ties.
The bag should not be so full as to be unsafe for transit and pose a risk of the cable tie becoming loose.
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