City Councilman John Lee proposed banning counterfeit printer cartridges in Los Angeles on Tuesday, citing environmental concerns about plastic waste.
At a parliamentary session on Tuesday, Lee introduced a proposal to ban the distribution and sale of disposable clone-compatible printer cartridges, or “knockoffs,” mostly made overseas.
According to the congressman, about 70% of printer cartridges end up in landfills, most of them counterfeit. Cartridges take 450 to 1,000 years to decompose, contain hazardous chemicals, and have a negative impact on the industry that recycles original equipment for reuse.
“The City of Los Angeles has a responsibility to continue to work to address environmental issues,” Lee said in a statement. “As a representative of the community where the Sunshine Canyon Landfill is located, I fully understand the importance of minimizing the impact of waste on our community. Banning cloned aftermarket cartridges is a simple way to continue to build on our environmental achievements and bring attention to an issue that has long been ignored.”
Shawn Levy, founder and CEO of Planet Green, a cartridge remanufacturing company based in Chatsworth, supports a possible ban.
“Chatsworth was once the epicenter of the printer cartridge remanufacturing industry, providing jobs for thousands of Los Angeles residents,” Levy said in a statement. “Now, compatible printer cartridges have destroyed this once-thriving circular economy and are contributing to the global plastic waste crisis.”
Post time: Feb-06-2025