Lincolnshire company DCI, Europe’s leading manufacturer of remanufactured inkjets and toners, has been named a finalist in the upcoming MRW National Recycling Awards, the most prestigious awards in the recycling and resource management sector.

The Boston-based business is being recognised for its innovative recycling programme, through which shoppers can drop used printer cartridges off at dedicated recycling points in its partner retail chain, and in return choose to receive loyalty points or make a charitable donation.

The initiative operates in 400 stores around the country, and due to its success has been expanded to more than 300 additional stores.

Phil Sneath of DCI said: “It’s fantastic to be recognised for the work the whole team has put into this project. My hope is it will further raise awareness of how ink cartridges can be recycled. The demand for inkjet cartridges has significantly increased since the start of the pandemic as more people are working from home, so it’s more important than ever to think about how we can responsibly dispose of these items.”

More than 65 million printer cartridges are sold each year in the UK, but almost all (80%) are used, binned, then incinerated or sent to landfill. But they can be recycled and remanufactured, cutting waste and plastic pollution.

DCI has the capacity to produce more than 1 million remanufactured cartridges and 100,000 laser toners per month, which equates to a significant reduction in waste.

It has been shortlisted in the ‘Partnership Excellence - Commercial category’ this year, and winners of the National Recycling Awards will be announced at a ceremony on Wednesday 8 December 2021 at the Hilton Park Lane, London.