Arlynnell Dickson

Suleika Perez
PUAF301
10/02/2014
PART 1: PROJECT IDEA MEMO
I. Introduction
With dozens of papers, endless readings, and numerous assignments, students constantly need to
buy and replace ink cartridges. Though expensive, personal printers provide convenience and
facilitate the academic process. On average, students consume at least 6 to 10 ink cartridges per
year (freerecycling.com). However, instead of recycling the cartridges in a responsible way, most
are disposed into the trash. Currently, over 300 million ink cartridges are thrown away, wasting
space in landfills, slowly leaking, and polluting the environment (benefits-of-recycling.com).
This project memo establishes the basis for the University of Maryland, College Parks first ink
cartridge recycling program, RecoverINK. By partnering with an electronics recycling
company, RecoverINK will collect all ink cartridges on campus, send them to a responsible
remanufacturer, and use the funds to advertise the program, encourage behavior change,
and sponsor future sustainable projects.
RecoverINK serves to benefit the University of Maryland and its students by efficiently
recycling all ink cartridges, decreasing campus waste, and promoting sustainability efforts. The
program also establishes recycle boxes for ink cartridges around campus, including the Stamp
Student Union, McKeldin Library, Dining Halls, and dorms. RecoverINKs self-sustaining
project plan will ensure future success, and the need for on-campus ink cartridge recycling will
be addressed.
II. Background
The production and disposal of ink cartridges continues to magnify various environmental issues.
Surprisingly, only 20 to 40 percent of empty cartridges in the United States are recycled, which
means 60 to 80 percent reside in landfills (benefits-of-recycling.com). The petroleum-based
plastics in ink cartridges take more than 450 years to decompose, creating a major space problem
(benefits-of-recycling.com) Additionally, residual ink clings to used cartridges and can end up
in groundwater underneath landfills, causing serious water quality and public health issues
(Yosemite EPA). Improper disposal of ink cartridges degrades the environment, but these
consequences can be avoided through sustainable recycling and reuse.
Insufficient knowledge and minimal advocacy for ink recycling continue to exacerbate the
electronic waste problem on campus. Students mindlessly throw away ink cartridges because no
other convenient, green alternatives currently exist. Contrary to popular belief, recycling ink
cartridges serves as an easy way to protect the environment, conserve resources, and generate
revenue.
III. Description of Proposal

Once a month throughout the school year, RecoverINK will manage tables outside of the Stamp
Student Union, McKeldin Library, and the Diners to collect cartridges and enter participating
students into raffles. In order to be eligible for the raffle, students must turn in their ink
cartridges and fill out an online form with their contact information. The online form, designed
through Google Drive, an excel submit sheet, will automatically select a random winner. Raffle
prizes include, but are not limited to gift certificates to the MD Food Co-op, Green school
supplies, and personalized reusable ink cartridges. RecoverINK will also donate a partial amount
of all proceeds to the University of Marylands Sustainability fund. Changing student behavior in
recycling and donation will be difficult, but RecoverINK will overcome this hurdle through the
incentive of monthly raffles.
If students are not able to visit the monthly RecoverINK tables, recycling box locations will be
established across campus, including the Stamp Student Union, the South and North Campus
Diners, McKeldin Library, and the dormitories. RecoverINK will also develop an integrative
marketing campaign to promote the program, upcoming events, and contests.
RecoverINK intends to establish a heavy presence across the University of Marylands campus.
The program plans to partner with ResLife, RHA Sustainability, and Terp Recycle.
Collaborating with ResLife will foster awareness and student involvement. RecoverINK plans to
put at least one donation box in each dorms lobby area, which will require the program to
communicate with ResLife. Alongside RHA Sustainability, RecoverINK will work to improve
sustainability advocacy on campus and throughout the College Park community. Another
organization, Terp Recycle, would also serve as a viable partner in the RecoverINK enterprise.
Becoming a part of Terp Recycles annual Ewaste event during RecycleMania would be a
critical opportunity to advocate for the recycling of ink cartridges.
As of 2012, the University of Maryland houses about 46% of its 37, 272 students in collegeowned, operated, or affiliated housing, including 35 campus residence halls
(usnews.rankingsandreviews.com). RecoverINK plans to establish a collection box for every
residence hall on campus, giving each student the opportunity to participate in the program. To
gather boxes, RecoverINK will ask local businesses for 50 cardboard boxes and repurpose them
as donation centers. Many business throw away boxes when they receive new inventory, so
repurposing them for RecoverINK would further the programs sustainable cause. RecoverINK
requires a budget of $1,000 to gather materials such as raffle prizes, markers, poster boards and
to set up an informative website. However, after the ink cartridges are collected, RecoverINK
intends to become a self-sufficient enterprise, using the returned proceeds to continue funding
the program.
RecoverINK plans to debut as Marylands first ink recycling program in August of 2015. The
initial Development Phase, will include the gathering of student volunteers, boxes from local
businesses, decoration materials, and preliminary campus contacts. Next, the Marketing Phase
will bombard students with RecoverINKs mission through the use of display posters, chalk
drawings, social media, and an integrative website. Finally, the Collection Phase will involve
gathering available ink cartridges, sending donations to the remanufacturing company, Planet
Green, and selecting a student raffle winner.

As a group, we must conduct more research to investigate where and how the ink cartridges are
processed. We must also ensure that the company receiving the ink cartridges utilizes sustainable
practices within the United States. Currently, we have little knowledge of where companies like
Planet Green and Funding Factory send their ink cartridges or what they exactly do with them.
Do they send it back to the original manufacturer? Do they recycle the cartridges and make new
products? We want to make sure that these companies conduct environmentally friendly
practices. We cannot partner with a company that does not share our same moral values and
objectives. To find this information, we will contact Planet Green and other companies via phone
for clear and definitive answers. Furthermore, additional analyzation of the budget is needed to
ensure that we have the correct amount for program expenditures. Finally, further research must
be conducted to compare similar programs carried out by other schools and universities.
In Part 2, both partners will contribute the composition of the Policy Project. One day each week
will be devoted to the compilation of the RecoverINK Proposal. The Part 2 analysis will contain
the appendixes of modeling effects, integrated involvement, estimated budget costs, projected
future expenditures and revenue, comparison to best alternatives, relevant photos and graphs, and
an APA format works cited sheet.
Comparison
Currently, the University of Maryland sponsors only one method of ink cartridge recycling. In
order to participate, students must mail their cartridges to the General Stores Building 383 on
campus (sustainability.umd.edu). Not only are the guidelines for this system vague, but its
purpose is also unclear. Additionally, one must search the depths of the internet to learn about
the programs few facts. Most importantly, the student population has zero knowledge of the
programs existence. In order to foster student participation and behavior change, the universitys
ink recycling plan must involve a more integrated, interactive, and incentivized approach.
The University of Marylands Terp Recycle hosts an annual event called, RecycleMania. The
annual 8-week competition challenges colleges and universities across the United States and
Canada to collect the most recyclable materials (sustainability.umd.edu). During this event,
students participate in the recycling of numerous electronic devices such as computers, hard
drives, and batteries. Additionally, students are encouraged to recycle cardboard, paper, bottles,
and to compost of food scraps and paper containers when in the Dining Halls
(sustainability.umd.edu). During the eight weeks of recycling, the University of Maryland
students proved themselves, ranking #1 in Maryland and throughout the ACC
(sustainability.umd.edu). Surprisingly, ink cartridges were not included at this event. While
RecycleMania proves to be an admirable start, a more consistent and interactive method of waste
collection, including ink cartridges, must be conducted throughout the year to change student
behavior. One time collections serve as useful short-term solution, but students also need a
reliable recycling source throughout the entire year.
One of Boston Universitys sustainability projects involves recycling ink cartridges. Boston
University recently partnered with Office Depot to create a new recycling program for all ink
and toner cartridges on campus. To track their progress, all of the cartridges returned were
reported to the Sustainability Department, which started in early 2012 (bu.edu/sustainability). By

establishing numerous boxes throughout campus, Boston University students can easily donate
their cartridges. Students are encouraged to donate all brands of laser or inkjet toner cartridges
in the established areas.
Theres small chance that the RecoverINK Program might not work. As an alternative, the
current University of Maryland program could be improved. To enhance the current program, an
entire overhaul of the universitys marketing campaign must be conducted. An integrative and
useful marketing campaign would inform students of the current services provided, and explain
how to take advantage of them. However, students always prefer the most convenient method, so
requiring them to mail ink cartridges in themselves may not prove to be as efficient.
RecoverINK was designed to integrate the best components from each of the other
aforementioned alternatives. While the current University of Maryland ink program is under
functioning and unpublicized, RecoverINK will establish a larger presence on campus and
encourage student involvement through incentives and social media. RecoverINK can also
partner with the successful Terp Recycle program, enhancing RecycleMania and establishing a
year-round presence on campus. Finally, the Boston University model has proven the value of
donation boxes on college campuses. Thus, RecoverINK will utilize the same program model by
establishing donation sites in popular places throughout campus. By compiling the most
successful methods of each similar project, RecoverINK will prove to be an innovative, selfsufficient, and sustainable solution for the University of Maryland.
Bibliography
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Recycling Ink Cartridges. (n.d.). Retrieved September 24, 2014, from http://www.benefits-ofrecycling.com/recyclinginkcartridges/
University of Maryland--College Park Student Life. (n.d.). Retrieved September 25, 2014,
from http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/university-of-maryland2103/student-life
What Can I Recycle On Campus? (n.d.). Retrieved September 24, 2014, from
http://www.sustainability.umd.edu/content/campus/recycling_what.php
Why Recycle? (n.d.). Retrieved September 25, 2014, from
http://www.freerecycling.com/Ink_Cartridge_Recycling/Why_Recycle.htm