Virtual Toner, Ink and Machine Pool

Consider making a virtual toner ink and machine pool resource.

Why: - Some tonners and printers are expensive. Machines may cost hundreds or thousands of pounds. I toner or set of inks could be in excess of £250 for some machines. Some toners and inks are low cost and tend to be over ordered and not used. From time to time printers and photocopiers are replaced or become redundant. These machines may still have a life and tone or ink, which would normally get treated as waste. The waste and WEEE process has a cost.

The logic:- If the “normal” is an audited fleet of “efficient and effective” printers and photocopiers in all offices and volume student areas, with low cost consumables supplies that easy to obtain through existing channels exist.

Then a virtual pool of unused, unwanted toners and inks can be set up as virtual community on a website to support current machines. People could post their unused resources to a list. If the offer is not taken after a period of time, then the resource may truly be redundant and suitable for donation or recycling.

A tangible pool of used and useable efficient and effective machines, are kept as a pooled resource, this keeps the machine replacement cost low and avoids new orders. Low cost toner or ink must be available and easy to obtain through existing channels. Users of this tangible pool can also access the virtual pool of unused, unwanted toners and inks.

“Efficient and effective” printers and photocopiers needs to be defined as this could be: can double side, Energy star, auto power down/off, still made, common with lots of low cost consumables, etc.