HP PLANET PARTNERS

HP Planet Partners is one of the largest electronics take-back and recycling programmes in the world, operating in over 80 countries and territories. The programme is specifically designed to manage the end-of-life processing of HP products with a strong emphasis on hazardous material isolation. Ink and toner cartridges are collected through prepaid shipping labels, retail drop-off points, and business collection services. Each returned cartridge undergoes a sorting process that separates plastics, metals, foam, and ink residue — with particular care taken to isolate residual ink (which contains hazardous pigments and solvents) before materials enter the recycling stream. HP has processed over 875 million cartridges since 2003, recovering plastics that are used to manufacture new cartridges in a closed-loop system. For larger hardware, HP disassembles products with priority extraction of batteries, mercury-containing backlights, and circuit boards containing lead solder, ensuring these materials are processed through certified hazardous waste handlers rather than contaminating recyclable material streams.