01732 759725 36 We break down these products into their raw materials and by being able to separate them, clean them, extract the contaminants like the toner powder and the ink, we’re able to then make these materials reusable. We can supply them on to other companies that can basically use these products again and give them a new life. So absolutely avoiding landfill is our core policy. In this industry, we’re looking for probably three main areas to improve – one would be the regulation, the tightening of what companies can and can’t do with this type of waste. The second would be better management and accountability of that regulation. And the third would be the pressure from society. The younger generations are already putting pressure on companies to make sure that they’re doing the right thing and if we can get the balance of those things right, I think the industry can really take big leaps forward in making sure Q: James, we’ve spoken before about your passion for sustainability and in particular tackling the waste issue. So, what is it that WBM does that’s different, and actually addresses the waste to landfill challenge? A: I have a very big passion for recycling and sustainability. Probably being overtaken by my five year old daughter, who seems to challenge everything that goes in the recycle bin and the waste bin at the moment! I think society is helping certainly with the younger generations to bring that awareness and passion for the environment and recycling through. In our industry, there are companies who claim to recycle but behind closed doors the waste is not necessarily being recycled - it could be being exported or incinerated, and maybe even sent to landfill. At WBM we pride ourselves on having an open door policy, and we want to invite people in. We worked with a number of major OEMs who have seen our facility, have come in and looked at what we do. Q: Let’s begin by telling me a little bit about WBM and what do you do? A: WBM offers a unique, innovative recycling solution for the printer cartridge and consumables industry. Over the last 10 years, we’ve developed bespoke ways of being able to recycle printer consumables. We recognised a need in the industry for a full recycling solution. In years gone by, there’s been many collectors of printer cartridges, they would typically sell the used cartridges to remanufacturers and set up collection schemes to get those empty cartridges back. But the main problem was always what to do with the non-reusable items, the waste items – typically this would include incineration or bulk shredding. So, we embarked on a program of research development, trial and error, and we’ve come up with some good solutions to actually recycle these products into the raw materials that can be reused. Q&A Q&A with James O’Connor In an exclusive video interview, James O’Connor, Director at WBM, speaks to Michelle Ryder about the company’s sustainable printer cartridge recycling solutions, the services WBM provides to OEMs and channel partners, and what dealers who choose to partner with WBM can expect Photo: pixabay.com/tookapic
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