Voluntary approach to cartridges to tackle “killer chips”

Energy minister Stephen Timms told MPs in Parliament this week that the government is looking to support the growing printer cartridge re-use industry, which he said accounts for 30% of cartridge sales.

Speaking in a Westminster Hall debate on Wednesday Mr Timms responded to calls for the government to include printer cartridges in its implementation of the European Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive.

This would mean that manufacturers would be unable to use devices, such as microchips, to prevent the recycling or re-use of their printer cartridges, the MPs said.

Monmouth MP Huw Edwards explained: “Unless printer cartridges are included in the implementation of the WEEE Directive as electrical equipment, killer chips and devices that thwart recycling will be considered permissible, despite the intentions of the European Union.”

Mr Timms noted that because printer cartridges are consumer items, they do not come under the remit of the WEEE Directive, but he suggested that voluntary measures could be used to support cartridge re-use instead.

“There is certainly no requirement to (re-use cartridges) in the Directive, and I have not seen a strong case for gold-plating the Directive in the way implied,” said Mr Timms.

He added: “We are weighing the fact that the majority of respondents to our recent consultation on implementation supported our proposals for a voluntary non-legislative approach, with a suggestion of a business forum to consider eco-design.”

These voluntary measures, discussions on eco-design and monitoring by the Office of Fair Trading would be enough to prevent the introduction of “killer chips”, Mr Timms said. The DTI and DEFRA are working with the United Kingdom Cartridge Remanufacturers Association and cartridge manufacturers on the issues surrounding printer cartridge recycling.

Manufacturer

Hewlett Packard is one IT manufacturer that have taken a stand against killer chips and other technologies preventing cartridge re-use, and was praised for this in the debate by Bristol North-West MP Dr. Doug Naysmith.

He said: “Hewlett Packard does not use so-called killer chips, or any other device to prevent the refilling or remanufacturing of cartridges, nor does it seek to inhibit the activities of that industry.

“It tells me that it supports the right of consumers to choose its products in that field, or to recycle products from other manufacturers, and believes that it can compete successfully on quality.”

HP recently announced the expansion of its Inkjet print cartridge Return and Recycling Programme to consumers in the UK, aiming to recycle 1.5 million HP Inkjet print cartridges from home offices and households by 2005.

At the announcement, Kim Holm, vice-president and general manager of HP IPG Supplies EMEA, said: “We apply the same high standards to recycling as we do to developing and producing print cartridges.”