Forum Topic

Recycling biros, pens and highlighters

Rymans in Putney High Street used to recycle the above however they have said they have an issue with the people they used to recycle these items with, and as a result of this do not recycle any more (so I have brought my little current supply back home). Does anyone know where else recycles these?  Perhaps if not a shop, maybe a local school if they go through Terracycle and receive points for their donations of pens, biros and highlighters.  It might be good to know if there are any schools that might be collecting these or other items so we as a community can boost their collecting of whatever.

Gillie Graham ● 45d16 Comments

Hello GillieWandsworth HW&RC may not feel that the cost is worth the effort and there may not have been a good end product easily made out of them. The sorting is always costly. But if you have already collected a lot together and have just missed when they did have a collection it must be very frustrating.  I remember years ago carefully choosing felt tips for the kids where the ink would wash out of clothing and upholstery but I think they were more expensive than others on the market.  I'm sure they told us with those what to do when they had started to dry out to extend their life.  They may of course no longer exist.Personally I find it very dispiriting that when you do find any refills for any of the nice biros advertising sustainable companies etc or charities that you want to promote in order to buy a refill you have to buy an awful lot at the same time. Just like when you need the odd nut or bolt to fix something like my grandson's scooter - they want to sell you a bag of 50 or 100 etc. You also have to remember exactly what the inside of the pens look like and not lose the springs or other little fiddly bits when you take them apart...  I definitely feel like I'm being manipulated!  I think we should call on all non refillable single use plastic biros to be banned just like those plastic stirrers and cotton buds with plastic stems have been.  'Free' gifts too often tend to be costly to the environment.  From City to Sea are a good environmental charity.

Philippa Bond ● 21d

Ok. Update on used biros and highlighters at the Wandsworth tip.  They do not take empty biros or dried up and finished highlighter pens.  Next time I am in the area of the Putney Library, I shall pop in there to see what I can learn.

Gillie Graham ● 25d

Let's hope they really are turning them into something useful like more pens and it isn't just more greenwashing!We've got to get used to changing our routines so that where we can we keep the world's finite resources in use as long as we can.

Philippa Bond ● 37d

Hello Gillie,Thank you for your post, I wish you all the best with you endeavours and look forward to the update/s!!Best wishes.

Ivonne Holliday ● 39d

Hi Philippa, I had heard about rolling a biro under a shoe before, with the lid on and in between some material or kitchen towel in case a full flow of ink ensued!I know about the Terracycle bins and pouches and agree that the cost makes it unlikely I would do it, but would contribute my defunct pens to such a scheme. In the meantime I have replied to Ivonne and if you read that I’ll share in due course what I find out.  Best wishes.

Gillie Graham ● 39d

Hi Ivonne,Thanks for this and your earlier message.  I am going to the Wandsworth tip next weekend, so will enquire whilst I am there and take the pens I have with me.  I shall share what I learn.In the meantime, I wonder if Wandsworth might think it an idea to perhaps have this box scheme (whether EcoLine or Terracycle or similar) in each of their libraries, as at least most people know where their local library is.  If the boxes look as if they aren’t bins for rubbish that would be a start.  I’ll pop into the Putney Library soon to assess and enquire.  Likewise, I shall update.Best wishes.

Gillie Graham ● 39d

Hello Gillie,I wonder if contacting the tip in Wandsworth could prove useful.  Also, just found this on the internet:https://www.rymanbusiness.com/edding-recycling-box-2-962116--4?srsltid=AfmBOooGAuqLuk0M8S4jHoPvIoNDjIcK6IG8XV319KjGAMcfR-2hgVCgPerhaps not ideal for one person as the description says:"As part of edding's product responsibility, the return box scheme offers companies, authorities, schools and educational institutions a unique opportunity to recycle any brand of empty pen or marker. Recycling is an important part of sustainable action. Simply return your empty or old markers in the box, and the markers will be recycled back into the production of the edding EcoLine range."

Ivonne Holliday ● 40d

Hi Gillie, don't worry you keep contributing to the forum. But Philippa lives Ealing area not Putney, also contributes her time telling everybody else on every other Forum what they should do.

Barbara Stevens ● 40d

Since reading the OP's initial post I have been into another Ryman's and they  they confirmed that their recycling contract had ended. So  it may be all of them.  I don't know who their contract was with but I did investigate Terracycle some years ago to find out more about them and how they worked and the result wss that they have been trying to sell me collection boxes ever since. Thanks but no thanks.  I've returned to the initial waste hierarchy of Reduce Reuse Repair Repurpose etc before Recycle & Dispose.  Energy from Waste may be the best option.There are probably a whole load more hints online on how to bring nonworking felttips and biros back to life.  With biros running across the rubber sole of a shoe can sometimes get them working again if they still have inkbinvthem.  With felttips dampening them with a little water carefully.

Philippa Bond ● 40d

Hello Gillie,I would love to know where to recycle them! I Googled this and it came up with Rymans....  :-( :-(Please, do not be disheartened with the Forum.  There are threads and posts that are very worth while reading!If I happen to find out about recycling of biros, pens and highlighters, I will certainly let you know.

Ivonne Holliday ● 40d

I had forgotten why I hadn’t posted on here in years!  The thread now has nothing to do with my original post.  Wish I hadn’t bothered.

Gillie Graham ● 40d

Well for your info I worked in R.Dyas for 10 yrs, who now have the same top bod, as well as him having other companies. When I was a kid I was told to go out and play with my friends, not where to stick my blasted biros.

Barbara Stevens ● 44d

It's  such a shame you can't ever be more constructive in your comments Barbara.  You are very wrong and totally off the point and subject.  Why don't you read Rymans website info - you just might learn something interesting and useful to talk about.Boots the Chemists (where you can find them) are recycling empty blister packs and some empty makeup type packaging .  There is actually some info on what is being made out of it on their website online. Superdrug at one time also did this.

Philippa Bond ● 45d

Very Sad about your mother Philippa. but just because she controlled you, perhaps you should stop telling Forum members what to do, as your not your mother.

Barbara Stevens ● 45d

Disappointing to read that Rymans have stopped doing this.  Their website is very inspirational so doubly so - and we need more inspiration right now.I wish it was  much easier to find refills like we used to be able to find for ordinary biros that come apart as well as the expensive pens.  It has become too easy come easy go with no or little respect for the environment.  My mother's named school ruler was still around the house and being used 70 years after she left school!  We were taught to look after things and to put them back, to ask and to borrow and to share and to look after things and to give them back after use or when found.  All our pencils had an area scraped of the top and were named.  What a shamefully casual and throw away society we have become!  Do we know what was being made out of Rymans' pens? Was it something useful?I remember buying biros years ago at Oxfam that had been made out of waste plastic and said on them something like 'this pen is made out of waste car parts' but they were reusable and it was easier to find replacement parts as there weren't so many different designs of pen.  The company was called Remade.  It must be time we got rid of single use promotional pens - reusable would just be a far better promotion!I know my optician gave me a wooden promotional biro some time ago.  Those ought to work well as promotional ones because Him Indoors puts them in his shirt pocket, walks off with them and leaves them somewhere else. I just have to imagine they are off partying with the birthday Parkers and lovely Lamys somewhere. Hurray for the ones you can secure to the telephone.https://www.ryman.co.uk/environment

Philippa Bond ● 45d

It would be good to know where to recycle these.

Judy Allen ● 45d