HP Wins Design for Recycling Award
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA 
on 04.12.06
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) has named HP the winner of the first-ever Design for Recycling Award. The award was created to recognize a company or individual that has best considered end-of-life recyclability in the earliest stages of product design. From ISRI's press release: "HP has worked for many years to design products that are easier to recycle. The firm operates several recycling facilities, which allows it to determine the most effective design features to facilitate product recycling. HP has developed standards that integrate clear design guidelines and checklists into every product's design process to assess and improve recyclability." Some of the design features include using modular design to allow components to be removed, upgraded, or replaced, eliminating glues and adhesives by using, for example, snap-in features, reducing the number and types of materials used, using single plastic polymers and using molded-in colors and finishes instead of paint, coatings, or plating. Getting more manufacturers to design products for easy recycling could prove to be a very important step toward a green future; as we noted recently, recycling computer hardware and peripherals isn't always easy or clean, so good design makes a big difference. ::ISRI via ::Core77
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First ever not even.
Photo I took regarding HP and ink replacement. They offer a "no postage necessary" envelope that allows the customer to immediately send off presumedly retired ink cartridges.
I think it would be better if their new products weren't so shoddy. If their new products weren't crap, people wouldn't have to replace them as often. My family has an HP LaserJet III which has lasted for over a decade, but we just got a new printer. I've seen people with the newer model HPs and they seem very shoddy and I doubt they'll last as long as our original LaserJet.
Andrew, you probably paid a lot more for the old printer than you did for the new one, though, right?
Sadly, if you want the well-built stuff, you often have to pay as much now (for the high end models) as you did back in the day.