We continue our recap of the Ring of Recycling matches of these last few months.
Match 3: The (relatively) small manufacturers of laser printer toner cartridges, Kyocera Mita and Panasonic, waged a highly unimpressive bout. Panasonic put up a lukewarm fight, accepting only a select few of its cartridges back and asking for information prior to a label being printed. After a screen thanking the customer for submitting her request, nothing happened. A couple months later, I still don’t recall receiving any shipping label. Panasonic didn’t look hard to beat… but Kyocera Mita was even worse. It offered customers an address where they could ship used toner cartridges. These would have to be some customers profoundly dedicated to recycling, however, since Kyocera Mita expects them to pay the cost out of pocket. Panasonic was the best of the worst.
Match 4: Ricoh took on Samsung in this exciting match of laser printing product recycling! Ricoh started strong, promising to recycle 95% of its used printer products. Granted, it only accepted back certain toner cartridges, but these were listed on an extensive dropdown menu, giving the impression that Ricoh was conscientious. But it was only a bluff! None of the menu items worked! Every single choice claimed that the toner was not included in Ricoh’s recycling program. Samsung didn’t even have to try, but it still put on a good show for the audience, requesting only basic customer information before offering a printable pre-paid shipping label for the return of its used printer cartridges. One of the best performances so far! Samsung thoroughly trounced Ricoh.
Match 5: In the final match of the elimination rounds, Sharp and Xerox, two of the big names in imaging products, gave us an exciting fight. These two giants were both quick to show us their best moves: both ask for minimal information and both provide free shipping. But while Xerox gave customer’s the gratification of a printable prepaid label, Sharp only offered the option of eco-boxes, which would be sent to the customer. Xerox seemed to have the edge in speed, but Sharp had power. Unlike Xerox, it takes back all of its printer cartridges and it recycles all of them. This final, heavy blow put an end to Xerox, and Sharp emerged triumphant.

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