21 December 2024

Can AI Help Us Make Better Choices?

Like many of us, I often find myself scrolling through Facebook. It’s become such a common pastime that I’m pretty sure there’s even a word in the dictionary for it now! While I mostly scroll out of habit, I occasionally come across something that genuinely catches my eye. This morning, it was a sponsored advert titled, “You’ll never need ink again.”

As the owner of Honest Inks Ltd, a company specializing in ink and toner cartridges, you can imagine why this grabbed my attention. The ad was promoting a small thermal printer for just £29, claiming you could print anything, anywhere, directly from your phone—without ever needing ink. Sounds impressive, right?

But I’ve always been cautious of Facebook ads. Like many of you, I’ve heard too many stories about products that don’t live up to their claims, or worse, scams. So, before making a purchase, I decided to consult an expert. Not a person, but AI.

Turning to AI for Advice

I asked ChatGPT, the AI assistant, a simple question: “Is this website safe to buy from?” The response was fascinating—and eye-opening.

AI flagged concerns about the legitimacy of the website and its products. It pointed out that similar thermal printers are available elsewhere for much less, suggesting that this brand might just be reselling generic products at inflated prices. There were also red flags about the website itself: it had only recently been created, it lacked customer support, and buyers reported issues like unfulfilled orders. Based on this advice, I decided against buying the printer.

What AI Said About Honest Inks

Curious about how AI evaluates other businesses, I decided to test it on my own company, Honest Inks Ltd. Here’s what ChatGPT had to say:

“Honest Inks Ltd is a UK-based company specializing in the supply and recycling of ink and toner cartridges. Established in 2012, it operates from Nottinghamshire and emphasizes sustainable practices, including partnerships with local Co-operative stores for recycling initiatives. Customer feedback highlights positive experiences, particularly noting the quality of customer service provided by Suzanne. Honest Inks appears to be a reputable and safe option for purchasing ink and toner products.”

Reading that made me feel incredibly proud. It reaffirmed that the years of hard work we’ve put into building a reputable, sustainable business are paying off—not just in customer satisfaction but also in how our business is perceived by new technology like AI.

AI in Our Industry: A Game-Changer?

My experience with AI got me thinking about its potential to help businesses and customers alike. In our industry, where trust and transparency are critical, tools like AI could revolutionize how we make decisions.

Here are just a few ways AI could benefit businesses like ours:
• Customer Insights: AI can analyze customer feedback to identify trends and areas for improvement.
• Enhanced Support: Chatbots powered by AI could offer 24/7 support, answering customer queries and resolving issues instantly.
• Sustainability Insights: AI tools can help businesses identify ways to reduce waste and operate more efficiently.
• Product Comparisons: Just as it helped me evaluate a competitor’s product, AI could guide customers in choosing the best solutions for their needs.

My Take on AI

So far, my experiences with AI have been overwhelmingly positive. It’s not perfect, but it’s an incredible tool for gathering information, making informed decisions, and even validating the work we do as business owners.

Of course, AI isn’t just about convenience; it’s about empowerment. It gives businesses like mine an opportunity to learn, adapt, and connect with customers in new and meaningful ways. And for consumers, it’s a way to navigate a complex marketplace with confidence.

What Do You Think?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. How do you see AI shaping the future of our industry—or your business? Have you had any experiences with AI that surprised or impressed you? Let’s start a conversation about how we can all use this technology to make better choices, build stronger businesses, and serve our customers better.

After all, if AI can help us avoid a bad purchase and celebrate a great company, just imagine what else it can do.

21 November 2021

Ash Lea School

Ash Lea School is a day, community Special School for children between the ages of three and eighteen who experience complex learning difficulties.

Ash Lea School is a community where everyone is valued, celebrated and works to their full potential. Both staff and pupils have high expectations of every aspect of school life from the curriculum to our extensive range of extended services.

They are very proud of the achievements of the school and the external recognition from OFSTED but will continue to strive for excellence in all that they do.

Through the differentiated and personalised curriculum, each pupil has the opportunity to reach their full potential. This is achieved through positive partnerships with other professionals, other schools and the local community.

To help us raise money for Ash Lea special school in Cotgrave simply take your empty ink cartridges and old mobile phones to our Cash 4 Cause recycling box that is inside the Co-op in Cotgrave.

21 November 2021

Why is remanufacturing so important?

Remanufacturing is an important component of a resource efficient manufacturing industry. By keeping components and their embodied material in use for longer, significant energy use and emissions to air and water (e.g. CO2 and SO2) can be avoided.

 In addition to environmental benefits, remanufacturing provides opportunities for the creation of highly skilled jobs and economic growth.  We believe we are capable here in the U.K of being world leaders in the remanufacturing of ink & Toner cartridges.

Remanufactured products are typically 60-80% of the cost of a new product due to the cost savings made from the recovery of the materials and energy content of the product.

Cartridges that are manufactured to order overseas, a remanufactured product may be available with a shorter lead time. Additionally, remanufacturing may allow the customer to continue to use equipment that is no longer being manufactured.

As remanufacturers have a real interest in knowing where their products have come from they might offer their customers a range of services beyond the initial sale such as take-back or recycling services that can benefit local community projects.  supplier relationships can improve and “whole life solutions” mean there are no disposal worries at end of life.

Our position – Honest-Inks position is clear – we are focused on those that remanufacture & those that take back empties in our opinion if your ink & toner supplier doesn’t want to take back your cartridge then it’s highly likely it isn’t worth what you paid for it.

 If any cartridge can be legitimately remanufactured, it is of interest to our community, and therefore compatible cartridges are becoming a problem.  Often but not always made with single-use low-grade plastic, whilst some are legally manufactured to meet EU safety standards others are not due to them being unregulated & they are engineered to navigate around patents, they are not, in most cases reusable, ending up in landfill sites around the world. 

This growing environmental problem also inhibits the remanufacturing industry acquiring adequate stocks of reusable cartridges to refill. 

Equally, a high number of compatible cartridges are sold with no take-back responsibility, so these cartridges end up in the OEM and aftermarket collection channels like ours and it is the OEMs and businesses like ours who face the costs of disposing of the cartridges concerned. In the U.K the costs can be as high as £9 a cartridge to buy, collect, sort and then discard a compatible cartridge. This cost is only going to increase as cartridges come under the new WEEE2 directive. And for importers of non-compliant WEEE2 products, the penalties are severe.

For me, I remain pro-remanufacturing for sound economic and environmental reasons, and I am of the view that the more cartridges we can reuse & the more compatibles we can recycle into new products the more we can make waste work, I’m hopeful that in the future we will be making more and more products using waste plastic and this will take the pressure off those manufacturing compatible new build cartridges but until then where are they all going to go?

With landfill sites filling up and more and more waste needing to be sent to incineration we feel that remanufacturing printer cartridges is more important than ever not just for the environment as it can help the U.K economy too.

16 June 2021

Keyworth Primary & Nursary School

We raise money for Keyworth primary school with our Cash 4 Cause scheme.

To get involved and help us to raise money for them simply take your empty ink cartridges and old mobile phones to the co-op in Keyworth on Wolds Drive.

UNLOCKING EVERY CHILDS POTENTIAL

ABOUT US

We are a small primary school located in the centre of the village of Keyworth.
Being built as the large junior school for the village in the 1960s we now provide a lively and stimulating learning environment for children from 2- 11 years old.

We have approximately 140 children on roll which incorporates 20 children who are part time within the Foundation Unit. Some of the children in the Foundation Unit transfer to the other local primary schools, but most stay with us for the rest of their primary education.

16 June 2021

Household waste

Around 27 million tonnes of household waste are generated in the U.K each year.

But what might surprise you is that more and more of it is being sent to incineration.

40 % of waste is sent to incinerators in the U.K and with electricity being generated from the output they are now being called Energy from waste plants.

Whilst burning waste isn’t the best solution as recycling it would be better for the environment and a more sustainable outcome we don’t have the space in landfill sites to continue anymore the way it has been done in the past.

We believe reusing things that are going to be thrown away is by far the first and best step in solving the problem and while we can’t do this for all household waste we can do it for the products we sell.

Honest-Inks Ltd are committed to being the most environmentally friendly printer cartridge brand in the world.

With our unique circular economy business model you can be sure that we have done our best to supply not only the best quality product but also ensured primarily that it is the most sustainable and greenest choice for our planet and the best for your health.

Yes, that’s right, recent tests carried out show that very often it is dangerous to buy new-build non-OEM cartridges: by offering products containing dirty toners, traders are playing with the health of their customers. The current coronavirus pandemic will heighten the awareness and need for the products we use to be safe and reliable.

The range of failures found during the tests included excessive levels of cobalt, benzene, naphthalene and Bis(2-methoxyethyl) ether. Which may cause long lasting harmful effects to aquatic life, may cause an allergic skin reaction, and may cause allergy or asthma symptoms or breathing difficulties if inhaled.

The only products in this test to pass were the two remanufactured toner brands.

You can find out more here:

https://www.therecycler.com/posts/etira-non-oem-new-build-cartridges-not-so-safe

It is more important now than ever to know where things have come from and how they have been manufactured, Honest-inks Ltd will only work with reputable manufacturers that care about the environment and more importantly ensure that their staff are working in a safe environment and are paid a fair wage.

We are the only printer cartridge supplier that takes full responsibility for the empties after they have been placed on the market our recycling scheme that takes back empty cartridges & guarantees that 100% of them are reused and those that can’t be reused as cartridges are recycled into great new products.

10 June 2021

Keyworth Camera Club

We do not just support charities we also support groups of interest to raise money locally.

Keyworth Camera Club for example is a great example of this.  The group is built around listening to guest speakers who provide the members and guests with informative and entertaining talks.

The emphasises is on enjoyment of our hobby and interaction with fellow photographers coupled with a strong desire to help their members become as good as they want to be as photographers.

They meet every Thursday evening from September to May starting at 7.45pm and monthly outdoor events in the summer months.

If you are a keen photographer, why not get in touch with them and go along to see what you think.

You can help us support them by taking your empty ink cartridges and old mobile phones to our Cash 4 Cause recycling box at the Co-op in The square, Bunny Lane, Keyworth.

10 June 2021

Are things getting back to normal?

3 Reasons why my cartridge may be out of stock.

You may have found recently that when you have tried to order cartridges for your printer, that you have been told sorry, but they are out of stock.

We understand that this can be very frustrating so we wanted to explain the reasons behind why some products cannot be found anywhere at all for now.

This is how it felt for us as a printer ink supplier.

Reason 1 

In the begging at the start of Covid around January & February last year many factories in China, Malaysia and India closed for months and production came to a standstill.

Here in Europe, we did not feel the result of this straight away as some companies had good stock levels we could continue to supply our customer’s with printer cartridges, I remember feeling very fortunate back then when other companies had no stock and I could carry on supplying my customers as usual, but yes as you guessed it wasn’t too much longer before my  suppliers were in the same boat and I had to say those horrible words too “Sorry we can’t get the stock”

We supply three choices for our customers Originals. UK remanufactured and imported ones, we could understand why we couldn’t get the imported cartridges as the factories had been closed months earlier and were catching up after they had finally re-opened, but I thought that shouldn’t make any difference to our UK supplier should it?

Reason 2

It turns out that the next step did also disrupt stock of our UK remanufactured brand too.

The uptake in WFH (working from home) or in some cases like me WFB (working from bed.)  Yes, sorry I am guilty of this.  Don’t worry I don’t do it all day, I’m not lazy, far from it but I do love that first hour with a cup of tea writing my blog or social media content from bed with a nice green tea & some fruit.

Due to this new working from home routine, many people went out and bought new inkjet printers and so followed an increase in demand for the cartridges to go in them and the truth is the manufacturers just could not keep up with the demand.

Reason 3

Now things are calming down a bit and we have a vaccine roll out, there is talk about businesses and venues starting to open again in the coming months, so surely this is good news, this must mean that all cartridges should be back in stock right.  You would think so, however this last reason is one I did not even think of.

Sourcing the materials that are used in the manufacture of printer cartridges has been difficult, and this has affected all manufacturers including Epson, Canon & HP.

There is a world shortage of Ethanol and the reason for this is that it is one main ingredients of hand sanitiser, so it is causing some challenges for other businesses that use this same chemical.

I hope this has explained why you may not be able to get the cartridge for your printer.

If you’re struggling to find what you need then feel free to get in touch as we are now finding products easier to source again.

7th April 2021

Friendly Bench Bottesford

Connecting people

An accessible social space, The Friendly Bench™ helps grow and strengthen people’s social networks with their wider community and improves wellbeing through friendship and is the focus for regular community events and activities.

Connecting places

Purposely designed, The Friendly Bench™ provides a convenient and comfortable place for those with limited mobility to rest, helping them to connect with local services and public places, whilst also encouraging independence and opportunities to participate in the wider community on their terms.

Connecting with nature

Enabling easy accessible interactions with nature, wildlife and the outdoors to help improve people’s physical health, mental well-being, social behaviour, self esteem and life satisfaction.

We just love this idea it is just so simple yet effective.

The good news is we now have a Cash 4 Cause recycling box raising money for this great group of people here in Nottingham.  Just take your empty ink cartridges and old mobile phones to the Co-op at 13 Queens Road in Bottesford.

1st April 2021

Interesting facts about printer cartridges

More than 1 billion inkjet cartridges are used every year

Approximately 1.1 billion inkjet cartridges are used by printers from all over the world on a yearly basis and if these cartridges would be stacked one next to the other, their total length will be almost 130 times longer than the Great Wall of China. Obviously, they will also be visible from the Moon too.

Printer cartridges take up to 1000 years to biodegrade

The plastic contained by the casings of printer cartridges is not very easily biodegradable. It can actually take up to 1000 years for this plastic to decompose and in the meantime, it stays idle in landfills, occupying space and polluting the planet. If more and more people would start recycling printer cartridges, this immense waste of resources and space would be prevented.

An inkjet cartridge uses about 3oz of oil when it is manufactured

Producing inkjet cartridges is not an easy or economical task. Aside from other resources like water and energy, manufacturing an inkjet cartridge also involves consuming at least 3 ounces of oil. It is worth mentioning here that millions and millions of such printer cartridges are produced every year. If all these cartridges would be recycled, the oil savings will be huge.

Approximately 25% of all printer cartridges sold worldwide are recycled

Although this is a good thing, it is still not sufficient. The rest of 75% printer cartridges sold worldwide are brand new ones and obviously, the manufacturing processes of these cartridges consume a lot of energy and money. This can be prevented by recycling more printer cartridges.

300 million printer cartridges are thrown away on a yearly basis

If these cartridges would be stacked end-to-end, their length will be able to circle the entire Earth. That actually means 24 thousand miles.

Each and every discarded printer cartridge adds almost 3 pounds of waste

This amount of waste goes directly to landfills and pollutes the planet for a very long period of time. If these cartridges are not thrown in landfills, they will end up in incinerators.

Unless of course they are recycled correctly, and we can help with that.

29 March 2021

Introducing Bingham Penguins!

Nottingham’s Disability Swim Club

Bingham Penguins Swimming Club is a club for people with disabilities, their families, and carers. It has been running for nearly thirty years. Sessions are held on Sundays at Rushcliffe Arena and provide a safe environment for people to swim and gain confidence in the water.
The club is a charity, run entirely by volunteers and funded exclusively by donations.  All our coaches, poolside helpers and volunteers are trained to provide a safe and secure environment for swimmers with disabilities.

Please get involved and help us support this great swimming club.

Take your empty ink cartridges and old mobile phones to our Cash 4 Cause recycling box in the Co-op in Bingham.

THANK YOU

24 March 2021

When you buy toner cartridges, what do you think about?

Most people only think about it doing the job it has been designed to do.

If it prints what I want, and it looks good when it comes out that’s pretty much all I need from it.

We would like you to start asking more from your toner cartridges that just that, we would like you to demand more from your printer cartridges, there are some other really important things they should be doing for you too.

Firstly, they should be safe for you and those around you, here at Honest-Inks Ltd we have done all the homework for you, so it is easy for you to choose your products from us knowing that they are safe and that they are manufactured to the highest standards possible.

If you buy printer cartridges on eBay or Amazon, then please make sure you know where they are coming from as some products sold on these platforms can contain banned substances that you really don’t want to be breathing in. 

The best way to know for sure is to make sure it has the STMC logo on the box, this stands for standardised test methods committee and shows it has been tested before it left the factory for a few important quality checks.

Secondly, it is good to have a supplier that will collect your empties after you have finished with them here at honest-inks Ltd we collect cartridges back from all our customers for FREE we provide them with a box to save them in and when it is full, we will collect them, ensuring that every cartridge that can be re-used gets re-used and those that can’t get recycled.  We guarantee that nothing ever ends up in landfill or incineration. 

Can your supplier say that? It really is worth asking the question because if they don’t care about where the waste goes after they supplied it then the chances are, they didn’t put much care into how it was being made either. 

We are also happy to collect empty toners from those of you who aren’t our customers too.   We offer this as a service and issue waste certificates to show that your duty of care has been fulfilled when disposing of your cartridges.   The crossed-out wheelie bin symbol means they shouldn’t go in the bin, yes that’s right, the law changed on this in the UK in 2016 and they are now classed as electrical Weee waste, not many people know this which is why so many of us are innocently still putting them in the bin where they end up in landfill or incineration, not good for the planet at all.

Companies are now finding that the collection of these products in their usual way are becoming less frequent and more and more unreliable.  If you are finding this and it seems you always have a pile of empty toners around the office for months and months on end then feel free to get in touch with us, it’s what we do and you can feel good choosing us knowing we do what’s best for the cartridge every time.

Finally, is your cartridge a “Compatible” Compatible cartridge are single use plastic and whilst original cartridges are also designed for single use, originals have a cash value and can be remanufactured and resold which is great to support re-use as it takes a litre of oil to make a new OEM or compatible cartridge so buying a remanufactured cartridge saves energy.

Even though compatible cartridge can technically be remanufactured it isn’t recommended due to the cheaper low cost they are when they start out the costs involved to collect and remanufacture them mean that in most cases it isn’t cost effect enough for the manufacturer to do.

These “compatibles” are becoming a problem many of which are made in Asian countries and after they are used once in our printers they just end up in landfill or incineration and to be honest this cannot continue much longer.  Here at honest-inks Ltd we are working on sustainable ways to re-use these waste compatible cartridges and hope to find a solution to this problem soon, but in the meantime please think about choosing a remanufactured cartridge for your printer next time you need to order as this reduces the number of new products being made and stops a cartridge going to landfill or incineration.

Thank you.

Reduce – Reuse – Recycle

18 March 2021

Canarvon House Independant Living

We would like to introduce you to Carnarvon House you can help us raise money for them to spend on residents’ social events and extra special experiences.

Take your empty ink cartridges and old mobile phones to our cash 4 cause recycling box in the co-op in burton Joyce and you can help us to raise money for so many local projects and community groups across Nottingham.

Here’s what it says about them on their website.

Welcome to our house

Situated in the quiet village of Burton Joyce in Nottinghamshire, Carnarvon House allows you to enjoy the companionship of others while also having the privacy and independence of your own accommodation.

With a shared kitchenette on each floor complete with all necessary appliances, Carnarvon House offers 13 unfurnished en-suite bedsits. We encourage residents to make their room their own, and you are more than welcome to redecorate.

Residents are often found in the communal areas socialising with one another, volunteers, family and friends. We have a beautiful garden which many residents enjoy maintaining, and a laundry room which is available for use.

You are able to bring your car and there is parking available should you need it. 

Breakfast is taken in your own room, with lunch and dinner provided in our light and spacious communal dining room. Meals are a sociable time where residents are encouraged to come together and enjoy some fresh, nutritious home-cooked food.

15 March 2021

Are we on the path to net zero by 2050?

I am just going to get straight to the point, choosing a remanufactured cartridge instead of a compatible one or an original is a really good way to lower your carbon footprint and do something good for the planet.   

Some companies do not disclose if you are buying a compatible or not but it’s alright, don’t be afraid to ask your supplier is this a remanufactured or compatible cartridge? because the more manufacturers learn that consumers are understanding the difference the more likely they are to manufacture more environmentally friendly sustainable cartridges to begin with such as remanufactured one’s so it’s a good start.

Compatible cartridges are single use plastic and unless responsibly recycled through registered waste carriers like us most of them are still ending up in landfill or incineration.

We all know that the takemakeconsumethrow away linear economic model cannot continue and that a circular economy approach based onReduce-Reuse-Recycle‘ is far better for the future of our planet and if we all play our part then maybe Boris’s aims for at least 68% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the decade is achievable after all.

Like I said earlier though this is only possible if we all play our part, so we would like to share with you the part that Honest-inks Ltd are playing in all of this and how you can help us.

Created in 2012 Honest-inks Ltd has been created with a unique circular economy business model in mind, focused entirely and built around  the most environmentally sustainable way to buy and recycle ink & toner cartridges, lets be fair most printer cartridge companies don’t care what you do with the cartridge after you have bought it and that’s why ‘We are very different’ we really do care what you do with our empty cartridges after they have served their purpose.

We are finding new ways to reuse things we throw away which is what we are doing in our industry, it is why we only sell remanufactured inks & toners when possible and aim to only sell remanufactured inks & toners by 2025 as ‘reusing an empty saves energy and up to a litre of oil that would have been used to make a new or compatible cartridge’.

We understand that compatible cartridges will not go away as they are cheaper than remanufactured cartridges, costs involved in collecting empties means the cost of a remanufactured cartridge will cost more however the environmental benefit of using a remanufactured cartridge instead of a compatible is way worth the little extra cost in our opinion.

Compatible cartridges are becoming a problem because they have no cash value after they have been used this means they often end up in landfill sites around the world which we want to put a stop to.  

So please next time you’re searching for ink or toner cartridges for your printer please search for remanufactured ink cartridges or remanufactured toner cartridges instead of just “ink cartridge” or “toner cartridge” and together we can be on that path to net zero.

12 March 2021

Calverton Toy Library

Because of Covid The Calverton Toy Library is temporarily closed but we want to raise money for them so that when they can reopen they can give everyone that uses it an even more enjoyable experience.

We thought we would share their information with you all land please take your empty ink cartridges and old mobile phones to our cash 4 cause recycling box that is in the Co-op in Calverton.

Helping us to raise vital funds for so many charities across Nottingham.

Where to go:

The Baptist Church Hall

The Nook
Calverton
Nottingham
Nottinghamshire

NG14 6HJ

We have Wheel Chair access

When to go:

Mondays 1.30pm-3.00pm   Thursday 9.30am -11am

£1.50 per family session includes refreshments. Toys hired at a nominal rental fee.

01 March 2021

Why do we always need to know what your printer model is?

So many times, when I’m speaking with new customers who want to buy our U.K remanufactured inks & Toners because they are more environmentally sustainable, and they want to do what is right for the planet they have many questions.

Thinking of using anything but an original cartridge fills them with fear, I am often asked but will it work in my printer? I have also been told, someone told me they clogged up her print heads and, on many occasions, I’ve heard they leaked in my printer.

These are real concerns by people who have in the past had bad experiences from using alternative ink and toner cartridge to the Originals.  We understand that there are so many people who have had bad experiences and we wanted you to know how important it is to know who you are buying from.

Unfortunately, it’s true that there are still many companies manufacturing poor quality print cartridges and with my 20 years’ experience in the industry it has taken me a long time to sample the cartridges of the numerous suppliers we have available to us today and choose to work with a trusted few who like us really care about the environmental impact that ink & Toner cartridge have on our world.

We are continuing all the time to improve the quality of our remanufactured cartridges and while we know we will never reach the perfection of the OEM’s it is our ambition to be the next best thing to it.

The reason we always need to know what printer model you have is because of the forever updating chip technology that goes into the cartridges, this is the part that speaks to your printer and informs you of ink or toner levels left in your cartridge. We ask so we can guarantee that your cartridge has the relevant up to date chip technology for your printer so that when it goes in you don’t have any negative error messages to deal with.

We want our customers to be reassured that when they are putting our cartridges into their printer that they are safe for them and the environment as recent tests of compatible cartridges bought on Amazon by the Germany’s expert LGA test centre found excessive levels of cobalt, benzene & naphthalene, which may cause long lasting harmful effects to aquatic life, may cause an allergic skin reaction, and may cause allergy or asthma symptoms or breathing difficulties if inhaled. To read the full article from where we found his information visit:

www.therecycler.com/posts/etira-non-oem-new-build-cartridges-not-so-safe

We hope this can inspire you to give remanufactured ink & toner cartridges a try as they really will help us to help Boris to hit his ambitious target of 68% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the decade.

22 February 2021

Pinxton Nursary School

We support nearly 40 projects and good causes across Nottingham.

Including local football cubs and schools.

We thought we would introduce you to this one.

Welcome to Pinxton nursery school, you can help us to support this fantastic place by taking your empty ink cartridges and old mobile phones to our Cash 4 Cause recycling box in the Co-op in Pinxton, their aim is to create a school where teaching, learning, caring and family support go hand in hand which is why we have chosen to fundraise for them.

PINXTON NURSERY SCHOOL

Our School Vision is “Playing and Learning for Living”

At Pinxton Nursery School we are committed to high quality Early Years Education and Childcare. We aim for all children to become resilient, confident learners to achieve their full potential, and to develop skills, interests and resilience that provide the scaffolding for future learning.

14 February 2021

Are alternative cartridges all the Same?

When ordering Ink & Toner cartridges for your printer most people only think of it as buying Originals or just the alternative to an original.

Not many people know or understand the differences between these alternative cartridges.

So, we thought we would help by explaining the difference between the many options available.

When you change from Original to a non-branded cartridge you have many choices, we have listed these below.

COMPATIBLE…

A compatible cartridge is a brand-new cartridge made by a third-party, the majority of which are made in Asia.  They are single use plastic products, and most still end up in landfill sites around the world due to the empties being too expensive to collect.  This is not good for the environment, so we are working on new ways to re-use the waste from printer cartridges to create a solution for this.

A few compatible cartridges are also illegal.  This applies to toner and ink jet cartridges.  Copying cartridges is typically a breach of OEM patents: there have been many cases of prosecutions in the past for both selling and using compatible cartridges.

REFILLED…

A refilled cartridge is an empty cartridge that has been refilled with ink or toner and frequently has saturated ink sponges or uncleaned parts.  Therefore, it is important to know who you are buying from as there is no guarantee that the refilled cartridge has been emptied first. Some companies just top up the ink or toner and this can potentially cause reactions between the old and new ink or toner. 

REMANUFACTURED…

A remanufactured cartridge has been used once before, returned & emptied of old ink or toner. They are then cleaned and any parts that need replacing are changed.  This is the best environmentally friendly choice; empties are collected and re-used.  We only work with remanufacturers who work to the highest standards.  An ink cartridge that has been correctly filled under vacuum with the location of the ink sponge maintained is critical to your confidence in the operation of a remanufactured cartridge.  Working with toners is far from straight forward.  Special machines to remove the old toner are essential as is knowledge of the correct way to open cartridges.

The best way to know what you are buying is by price.  Remanufactured cartridges cost more than compatibles and refilled cartridges and the truth is you get what you pay for.

Much more care goes into remanufacturing and it costs money for remanufacturers to buy the empties to begin with, but you can be sure that the higher cost is well worth the environmental benefits to our planet, as no cartridge of ours ever needs to go into landfill or incineration.

11 February 2021

Over 60’s youthful group

Can we introduce you please…

An independent Community Social Group for over 60’s with FREE membership.

 

The Groups aim is to provide over 60’s… especially those with limited social interaction…with an opportunity to get out and about, make new friends and socialise in a relaxed and friendly environment.

Due to Covid this group has struggled to meet in person as often but have really continued to support each other through phone calls and social media to still stay connected.

With none of our normal coffee mornings or other social events throughout the past year Christmas 2020 has certainly not without its challenges, but we have still tried to make the best of it despite not being able to meet-up for their usual Christmas lunch party. They collected Christmas cards from members and re-distributed them.

Over 60s Youthful Group usually meet on a regular basis at the Broomhill Inn for Tea and a chat and put-on events.

We would like to help and support them this year so that when they can finally all meet up again in person, we can give them a social event to remember.

You can help us to make this happen by donating your empty ink cartridges and old mobile phones to our Cash 4 Cause recycling box in the Co-op at 288 Watnall Road, Hucknall.

Thank you to everyone who has already donated empties to us.

Our aim is to ensure that no empty cartridge ever ends up in landfill or incineration.

We ensure that every empty that can be re-used gets re-used and only those that can’t get recycled into great new products.

If we can raise money for great local projects at the same time then it a WIN WIN.

04 February 2021

Keep your printer happy

Printers have feelings to you know.

They can sense fear, when you’re walking over to it and it is time to change the cartridge, they know you hate doing it, but it’s got to be done.

 

So, let us make it easier for both you & your printer.

Your printer does not want a cartridge that is going to leak or one that the chip is not recognised by the printer any more than you do but buying alternative cartridges to originals does come with this risk.

That is why it is important to know your supplier and where the cartridge has come from.

Here at Honest-inks ltd we have done all the homework for you with over 20 years’ experience in the industry we have ensured that the two most important factors of buying cartridges has been looked into when choosing our suppliers.

our unique circular economy business model Guarantees that the best environmental & sustainable solution is always found and worked towards whilst never compromising on the quality of the print or safety of the ink & Toner inside.

So you can be sure that buying your Remanufactured cartridges from us will mean that you can feel confident when walking up to your printer to change the cartridge that the experience will be a happy one for both you and your printer.

Step 1

Order online www.honest-inks.com

Step 2

Feel good knowing your cartridges are the best environmental choice.

Step 3

Recycle them with us to raise money for great local good causes and know they never go into landfill or incineration.

02 February 2021

Supporting Grassroots Football

Lowdham Colts Football Club was established in 1997 with one team playing on Lowdham playing fields.

Over the last 24 years the club has grown significantly, providing enjoyable football to thousands of young boys and girls from Lowdham and its surrounding villages and is now firmly established within the local community.

The club now has 25 teams with over 300 boys and girls aged 5 – 18 regularly playing football.

Lowdham Colts support The FA’s Respect programme to ensure football can be enjoyed by everyone in a safe and positive environment.

Our aim is to support them with fundraising for their long-term aim.

They currently play at five grounds in Lowdham, Caythorpe, Gunthorpe and Epperstone.

Lowdham Colts Football Club wish to inform and canvass support in favour of an application for outline planning permission to develop an area of land behind the John Harrison garage in
Lowdham.

It has been their long term aim to provide a local and permanent base for the football club.

Wishing to develop land to provide a clubhouse, football and training pitches, creating a first-class facility for our ever-growing number of football teams.

We would like you to help us make this a reality by donating your empty ink cartridges and old mobile phones to the Cash 4 Cause recycling box in the Lowdham Co-op.

100% of the money from the recycling of the ink cartridges will go directly to Lowdham Colts FC

You will also be supporting us in ensuring that every empty cartridge that can be re-used gets reused and only those that cannot are recycled.  We guarantee that nothing ever ends up in landfill or incineration.

Thank you in advance for your support from both Honest-Inks Ltd & Lowdham Colts FC.

25 January 2021

HOW TO BUY CARTRIDGES ONLINE SAFELY.

First things first, use familiar websites, it is important to buy from people you know so start at a trusted site.

We would recommend that you buy from members of these two trade associations.

ETIRA European Toner & Inkjet Remanufacturers Association.

www.etira.org

UKCRA The United Kingdom Cartridge Remanufacturers Association,

www.ukcra.com

Secondly look for the lock.  Never buy anything online using your credit card from a site that does not have SSL (secure sockets layer) encryption installed—at the very least. You will know if the site has SSL because the URL for the site will start with HTTPS—instead of just HTTP. An icon of a locked padlock will appear, typically to the left of the URL in the address bar.

No online shopping website needs to know your birthday to do business with you. The more scammers know, the easier it is to steal your identity. When possible, default to giving up as little personal data as possible and if you think someone is asking for too much information then don’t give it them and buy from someone else.

Check out the contact page.  Before you place an online order take a look at the contact page, I feel much more comfortable ordering from a business that is happy to provide me with an address and landline number and yes you would be surprised how many websites don’t share this basic and important information you need to know where they are in case you need to complain or return something.

10 January 2021

Welcome to All Saints Centre, Huthwaite

Huthwaite’s community centre, the All-Saint’s Centre, opened in April 2006 and is now providing modern, multi-use facilities to the local community. Built on the old All Saint’s Church Hall site, on the corner of Common Road and Blackwell Road in Nottingham, the community centre offers an overly broad range of facilities including a large hall, meeting & conference rooms, a consultation room, and a community cafe.

All Saints School run their Pre-School for 2-5-year olds here and they also provide a base for Sure Start’s Children’s Centre and they are a venue for many Adult Education Courses.

You can support The All-Saints Centre by taking your empty ink cartridges and old mobile phones to our Cash 4 Cause recycling box in the local Co-op.  17-25 Main Street, Huthwaite, Sutton-in-Ashfield, by taking your empty cartridges to the Co-op we guarantee to give 100% of the value directly to The All-Saints Centre and also ensure the empties end up n the right hand.

At Honest-Inks Ltd the most Environmentally friendly solution is always found and worked towards, so we ensure that no empty cartridge ever ends up in landfill or incineration.

So, you can feel good too, that by donating your empties to raise money for All Saints Centre Huthwaite is also benefitting the planet too.

6 January 2021

Where does your compatible cartridge go after you have used it?

Sad but true, if you buy compatible cartridges for your printer you are highly likely unknowingly contributing to the eight million tonnes of plastic being dumbed into the sea every year.

It is killing and harming marine life.

  • Turtles eat plastic bags mistaking them for jellyfish
  • Seabirds are found with their stomachs full of plastic items
  • Plastic debris can get lodged in coral and affect the health of reefs
  • Microplastics are consumed by animals like plankton, passing the problem back up the food chain – to us.

Plastic is found in the deepest reaches of the ocean, and even in remote Arctic sea ice. It’s a sobering example of our footprint on Earth.

We all know about carrier bags and plastic cups and cutlery being a problem and we have all seen a change recently in how we use and manufacture these items.

Printer cartridges are no different they are made from plastic.

But What can we do to help?

As a business Honest-Inks ltd has guaranteed that the best sustainable and environmentally friendly solution is found and worked towards.

We have created the most sustainable circular economy business model that ensures cartridges can be sold and recycled sustainably ensuring that if a cartridge can be reused it will always get reused and it will only be recycled if it cannot first be reused as a cartridge.

As individuals we can also help by making small lifestyle changes, like recycling more and reusing old products before recycling them, you might think your contribution is small, but together our collective action is powerful.

Regarding printer cartridges, we can help enormously with reducing the worlds CO2.

You can recycle your cartridges with us knowing that the best environmental solution has been found and you can choose to buy a remanufactured cartridge instead of a compatible one knowing that 3 litres of oil has been saved in what would have been used to make a new one.

17 December 2020

Team Vinyl

We are pleased to let you know that Team Vinyl a local community group that support many great projects in Rainworth & Blidworth received an amazing £1516.38 from the Co-op funding for local causes 2019-2020.

We though that as we are supported by the Co-op as well as they have kindly given us permission to site recycling boxes in co-op stores across Nottinghamshire that we would continue to support Team Vinyl in 2021 and beyond.

You can help us to do this by taking your empty ink cartridges and old mobile phones to our Cash 4 Cause recycling box at the Co-op in Rainworth.

100% of the money raised from the recycling of ink cartridges goes direct to Team Vinyl to continue to help them with the great work and projects they support in and around Rainworth in Mansfield, Nottingham.

14 December 2020

We need your empties.

Unfortunately, more than 375 million empty ink and toner cartridges are thrown out every year, and most of them end up in landfill sites and we want to stop this.

 11 cartridges per second and 1 million cartridges per day are thrown away. For a print cartridge to fully decompose it can take up to1000 years, which gives you an extent of how damaging these cartridges can be to the environment.

If you recycle your printer cartridges with us you conserve energy and natural resources, as you reduce the energy needed for the materials. By recycling, around 11 million gallons of oil can be saved in just seven months. Since 97% of the materials used in printer cartridges can be recycled, this means the waste could be reduced to only 3%.

Recycling with us means that your empty cartridges ALWAYS end up in the RIGHT hands.

11 December 2020

Our customers decide who we give to and they chose St Michaels Church Farnsfield.

We have been told that St Michael’s church do so much for the local community.

They work closely with Farnsfield Community Spaces, a community volunteer group who get involved in environmental tasks to improve the physical environment in and around Farnsfield.

They have recently become involved in a project to restore the Village Lock Up However funding through National heritage lottery has recently been redirected so alternative funding is being sourced.

Due to the Covid 19 Crisis, Community Spaces has diverted some funds to local projects and charities and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The volunteers have been helping to deliver information from the Parish Council and other sources and have helped out with other aspects of social isolation caused by Covid

 

You can help us support the local area of Farnsfield by taking your empty ink cartridges and old mobile phones to our Cash 4 Cause recycling box inside the Co-op at Farnsfield.

100% of the money raised will go directly to St Michael’s Church & we look forward to hearing about all the local projects they use the money for to help & support.

Thank you

11 December 2020

Why is recycling your ink cartridges with us a GOOD Thing?

Honest-inks ltd have been in business since 2012 and the owner has over 20 years’ experience in the industry the company was created to offer a better way to buy & recycle printer cartridges.

We have a Cash 4 Cause recycling scheme that means anyone can give us their empty cartridges and the money made when they are sold goes direct to local projects that our customers care about.

Being supported by the Co-op we have recycling boxes for you in your local Co-op stores across Nottinghamshire to donate your empty ink cartridges & old mobile phones each recycling box raises money for a local community project, good cause or business.

For example, take your empties to the co-op in Bingham and you are supporting Bingham Penguins Swim Club this is a club for people with disabilities, their families and carers and has been running for nearly thirty years. The club is a charity, run entirely by volunteers and funded exclusively by donations so we are pleased we can support them.

Another example is AMC gardens, established in 2001 Arkwright Meadows Community Garden is a thriving community project. The Gardens are a green oasis within walking distance of Nottingham City Centre. We are open to visitors throughout the week providing a place for relaxation and recreation.

AMC Gardens is run by local people and provides the Meadows with a well-loved resource which reflects and celebrates this vibrant and diverse community. You can help us raise money for them by taking your empty ink cartridges to the co-op in the Meadows.

You can find out other locations and what charities we support by visiting our website or Facebook pages.

The reason we do this is because it is important for the empties to end up in the right hands. 

Honest-Inks Ltd are the Number 1 printer cartridge supplier for the environment and our unique circular economy business model ensures that the best environmental & sustainable solution is always found and worked towards.

We ensure that the five-step hierarchy of waste management are always followed and guarantee that any cartridge that can be reused gets reused and those that cannot get recycled.  We work with other companies locally to guarantee that every cartridge we collect that can’t be reused gets turned into something new and that nothing ever goes to landfill or incineration.

The sequence that gets the greatest benefit from any resource is to reduce first then reuse then recycle, we are doing this by increasing the number of cartridges thar are reused by being remanufactured.  It takes up to three litres of oil to make a new cartridge & 20 times more energy to make a new one than to reuse one.

Buying remanufactured cartridges is a better environmental choice and can save you money.

03 December 2020

Welcome to the Friary

Why do we support the friary? Here’s why..

The Friary is a well-respected registered charity with a distinctly Christian foundation which operates in the Nottingham area. The Friary’s mission is to empower homeless and vulnerable adults to rebuild their lives by offering practical services, advice and emotional support.

We are determined to cater for the needs of the most vulnerable in our society by supporting people into recovery and advocating for those without a voice. Every year the charity caters for 15,000 visits from local people who are suffering the effects of homelessness, substance misuse, financial destitution, and social isolation.

Their Story

Their story is rich and diverse. Founded in 1988, the Friary was created to meet the needs of the homeless in Nottingham. Originally a drop-in café to help the hidden homeless and vulnerable in our own neighbourhood.

Founded by Ann Bremner MBE, the Friary is now a UK registered charity maintaining its distinctly Christian ethos to serve the poor and opens its doors on Musters Road in West Bridgford  6 days a week.

Responding to the ever-changing complex needs of the homeless, they have tailored their services into the extensive provision today. They continue to meet people who are hungry. In addition to the very real housing & financial problems, individuals often face a host of other challenges including mental & physical ill-health, substance misuse & addiction, social exclusion to further compound these difficulties, unemployment, illiteracy and sometimes domestic abuse. Substance misuse is now more prevalent than we have ever seen.

Their mission is to help homeless and vulnerable adults to rebuild their lives by offering practical and health services, advice and emotional support. Their commitment is to help people individually by offering advice and support which is accessible and free to anyone who needs it. They achieve this by the ongoing financial support, food, clothing and practical item donations and hours of personal time given by our local community.

Nobody wants to be on the streets at this time of year. Help the Friary help the homeless, especially this Christmas.

You can take your empty ink cartridges and old mobile phones to our Cash 4 Cause recycling box in the  Co-op at Trent Bridge and we will give 100% of the value of your empty ink cartridges directly to support the Friary’s winter 2020 appeal.

Thank you

03 December 2020

Do you know where your cartridge came from and who made it?

We explain why this is important…

Everyday Ink & Toner cartridges are thrown away.

Depending on where they end up this can sometimes have serious effects on our environment and depending on how they were first manufactured they can even affect the air we breathe.

During manufacturing, printer cartridges are made with chemicals such as butyl urea, cyclohexanone and dyes that contain sulphur like “ethoxylated acetylenic diols which modify the surface tension of the water and colours; Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) which is full of contaminants and ethylene glycol”.

Honest-Inks Ltd are the Number 1 printer cartridge supplier for the environment and our unique circular economy business model ensures that the best environmental & sustainable solution is always found and worked towards.

We do this by only working with a select few remanufacturers who like us genuinely care about the environment, when they remanufacture Ink or toner cartridges for us, we specifically request that our cartridges are tested for toxins and pass our emissions test.

It is important to know that the products your buying are safe and reliable and to do this we suggest the best way is to know who your buying them from.

25 November 2020

Reach Learning disability – Southwell

Reach is one of the great local charities we support and is a registered charity dedicated to supporting people with learning disabilities in Nottinghamshire. We work with almost 250 people to enable each individual to lead a happier and healthier life in their own community.

Reach began as Southwell Care Project in 1999. Since then we have grown in scale and impact across the county, yet our roots remain firmly planted in the community. Many of our trustees, staff and volunteers live locally to where we provide our services and some have caring responsibilities, so they really understand the importance of ongoing community support.

We recycle empty ink cartridges and old mobile phones to ensure that no cartridge ever ends up in landfill or incineration.

Passionate about making sure that the empty ink cartridges end up in the right hands, we guarantee that they go to the right places so if they can be reused again as a cartridge then we know they will be.

Why is this important?

The waste management hierarchy indicates an order of preference for action to reduce and manage waste, our unique circular economy business model ensures that the best environmental & sustainable solution is always found and worked towards.

We do this by recycling empties to raise money for good causes.

100% of the value we receive for the empty cartridges goes directly to the charity that the recycling box raises money for, in this case Reach leaning disability.

You can help us to support their great work by taking your empty ink cartridges and old mobile phones to our Cash 4 Cause recycling box at the Co-op in Southwell.

Thank you

23 November 2020

What is a Toner Cartridge?

toner cartridge, also called laser toner, is the consumable component of a laser printer. Toner cartridges contain toner powder, a fine, dry mixture of plastic particles, carbon, and black or other colouring agents that make the actual image on the paper. The toner is transferred to paper via an electrostatically charged drum unit and fused onto the paper by heated rollers during the printing process. It will not stain like ink cartridges, but it can get messy if handled improperly.

Laser printing is an electrostatic digital printing process. It produces high-quality text and graphics (and moderate-quality photographs) by repeatedly passing a laser beam back and forth over a negatively charged cylinder called a “drum” to define a differentially charged image.[1] The drum then selectively collects electrically charged powdered ink (toner), and transfers the image to paper, which is then heated in order to permanently fuse the text, imagery, or both, to the paper. As with digital photocopiers, laser printers employ a xerographic printing process. Laser printing differs from traditional xerography as implemented in analog photocopiers in that in the latter, the image is formed by reflecting light off an existing document onto the exposed drum.

Toner is a powder mixture used in laser printers and photocopiers to form the printed text and images on the paper, in general through a toner cartridge. Mostly granulated plastic, early mixtures only added carbon powder and iron oxide, however, mixtures have since been developed containing polypropylene, fumed silica, and various minerals for triboelectrification. Toner using plant-derived plastic also exists as an alternative to petroleum plastic.  Toner particles are melted by the heat of the fuser and are thus bonded to the paper.

Laser toner cartridges for use in colour copiers and printers come in sets of cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK), allowing a very large colour gamut to be generated by mixing.