To generate a profit while at the same time contributing to the welfare of Mankind is a model worthy of duplication.
A group in Fukui Prefecture, Japan, is doing just that. They have launched a campaign to send vaccines to developing countries with the proceeds obtained through recycling of used ink-jet cartridges.
The group set up collection boxes around the city of Maebashi. As of this writing, they have collected 300+ of such cartridges. With the sympathy and active support of a local recycler who offered an overly generous 300 yen per cartridge, they have collected over 9000 yen.
This may not seem like much, but it may be a model for other municipalities. And the beauty of this model is that the proceeds were then handed over to the Tokyo-based Japan committee, Vaccines for the World’s Children, which supports developing countries’ vaccination programs.
According to the Committee, one polio vaccine costs about ¥20, while a measles vaccination costs a modest ¥95. Nine thousand yen infusions’ of cash can make an immeasurable contribution to helping those most in need.
Granted, there is not much profit potential here for an entrepreneur. That is, unless we think of saving children’s lives is a worthwhile endeavor. In our throwaway societies, there are so many things which we deem as junk that could be salvaged and recycled. Ebay is the exclamation point for those who thought junk was junk.
For example, old, throwaway clothes and sheets could be turned into a quilt. I even received a gift from a Japanese woman of a macramé insect made from bamboo leaves. Such innovative methods of creating small revenue streams from junk and our natural surroundings is an invaluable contribution each of us can make with a minimum of effort to care for the billions of unfortunate human beings scattered around our planet.
A good reference site for recycling cartridges…CLICK HERE
As an aside, here is a fact about inkjet printers that may shock you…
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