Computer printer manufacturers used the "Gillette Theory" of marketing, which is, "give the razor away for free and charge handsomely for the frequently used razor blades." In other words, sell the consumer the computer printer for $99.00 or less, and charge them up to $40.00 for the replacement ink cartridge. Over the average life of a computer printer, using one cartridge per month for 6 years, you have paid the manufacturer ($99.00 + $40.00 X 72 months) = $2,979.00 for the printer!

It did not take long for entrepreneurs to come up with the idea of refilling the empty cartridges and selling them back to the consumer for 40% to 70% less than the O.E.M. cartridges. Thus the recharger industry was born. There are two basic raw materials in the Recharger Industry (1) ink or toner, and (2) empty inkjet and laser cartridges. The ink can be purchased from ink supply companies, however, the empty cartridges have to be collected from the consumers and business that have the empty cartridges. Unfortunately, hundreds of millions of empty cartridges were being thrown in the trash, destined for our landfills, until cartridge recycling programs were established. Organized recycling programs, such as InkBank, were launched to collect the cartridges and resell them to the cartridge remanufacturers. If not the first, InkBank was among the very first to develop cartridge collection as a fundraiser for non-profit organizations. Remanufacturers are willing to pay for the cartridges they refill, thus the cash flow now begins that make up the funds for your fundraising program.