CAN YOU RECYCLE “CLICKY” PENS?

By: Rene Hernandez

So I’m here at the office and think that we are green at home, but what about at our office.  We have a recycling bin for paper and some plastic. In the day to day duties there are a lot of other things we use at work that don’t go into the recycling bin, so what happens to that stuff.

I love “clicky” pens...thats what I call them. The ones you push the button with your thumb and don’t have to worry about losing a cap or twisting the pen….I thought about all the pens we use in the office. Once their empty they go in the trash.

Every year Americans discard 1.6 million pens. Placed end to end, they would stretch 151 miles — equivalent to crossing the state of Rhode Island almost 4 times! …Many companies presently carry one to several lines of products which have positive environmental attributes. These attributes include recycled content, refillable options, nontoxic inks and more environmentally responsible packaging.” –Green Seal.

So how does one recycle old dried up pens? Here are some ideas to reuse and recycle old pens:

Reduce

• Don’t purchase disposable pens : buy one or two good quality refillable pens (and pencils,) and purchase refils as needed.

• Buy pens without excessive packaging (or at least packaging that is recyclable and made of recycled materials)

Reuse

• Purchase refills for your pens & pencils

• Revive dried up pens by running the tip through a lighter flame, or by adding a drop or two of hot water in the tube.

• Empty pen casing can be used to safely protect a traditional thermometer; store beads; as a pirch in a bird cage; for marking seedlings in the garden; for stir sticks; as a glue applicator; give those poor quality pens to kids to draw with; get creative!

Recycle

• At the moment you can’t toss pens in the recycling bin, as they require disassembling and recycling centers don’t have the time to do all that finicky work.

Take Back?

• I’ve yet to find a company that has a take-back program for their disposable pens. So the best thing I can recommend is : Don’t buy them, don’t take them home from seminars and hotels. Just buy pens that can be refilled and reused. I visited How Do I Recycle This thinking someone there may have found where I can recycle these… and aside from lots of tips on how to revive dried up pens, I couldn’t find my answer!

So next time your ink runs out with your non-eco friendly pen…see if you can find another purpose for it. Mention to your office manager about buying refillable pens and how much money it would save…or buy your own…one person at a time makes a difference.