Warning – changes to Tesco ink cartridge recycling policies

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I wrote recently about earning Avios points via Tesco Clubcard by buying cheap used printer ink cartridges on eBay and then selling them to Tesco’s recycling partner.

You earn 50 – 100 Tesco Clubcard points (120-240 Avios) per cartridge, which allows you to generate fairly cheap Avios points if you are happy to make the effort required.

The recycling company behind the scheme has quietly slipped out a new ‘price list’. One key change is that HP920 and HP940 cartridges – two very popular models because they are readily available – will no longer be accepted.

This change came into effect immediately, so there is a risk that some people will be left with a box of HP920 or HP940 cartridges which can no longer be used.

Hopefully no Head for Points readers are caught up, but it is a reminder that you always run a risk with this sort of scheme. You obviously have no grounds for complaint to the recycling company, given that you are not meant to be bulk buying cartridges via eBay in the first place …..

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Category

Tesco Clubcard

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

TimS says:

23 Feb23 February 07:12

Luckily i sent off the 100x hp920s i had in early Jan and most of them (95%) were accepted.

Glad i didn’t send them off in batches over the year now!
Jason says:

23 Feb23 February 07:25

TimS
How long did they take to get processed?
- TimS says:
  
  23 Feb23 February 07:38
  
  Mine were processed about a week after being sent off.
Simon says:

23 Feb23 February 07:33

I got lucky as well, sent in 100 920s using the envelopes over the course of a week mid January and they were all processed over a 4 day period just before the new list came out.

The points are awarded based on the list when the cartridges are processed but some people have reported some success contacting The Recycling Factory and as a goodwill gesture they’ve agreed to manually add the points for 920 & 940 cartridges sent before the list was changed but processed after the list was changed.
Dave says:

23 Feb23 February 08:26

Apparently you can phone up and they will manually add the points if your cartridges where in the post when they changed the terms. My eBay guy did and I got my points added.
- Graham says:
  
  23 Feb23 February 13:30
  
  This may have been me! 🙂
  
  Indeed this is the case. I sent 7 orders out at the back end Jan which resulted in several being part or totally processed post Feb 4th, resulting in loads of missing points! Fortunately, they will add the point manually if it obvious the cartridges were sent pre Feb 4th by giving them a quick phone call.
  
  For reference they send their points list over to Tesco every Monday, points should post a couple of days after that.
  - Simon says:
    
    23 Feb23 February 17:26
    
    With the removal of 920s and 940s are you still able to offer cartridges at an attractive price for the Tesco scheme Graham?
    
    I’ve nearly reached my limit for this year so looked on ebay more out of interest and I couldn’t see much value (i.e. less than £1 per cartridge).
    - Graham says:
      
      23 Feb23 February 19:29
      
      Yes, but I’m probably going to have to increase prices from £90 per 100 to something closer to £95 in the future. The biggest problem has always been cartridge supply (at a reasonable rate), which has now been limited even further, so at some point it may no longer be worth my time to source the cartridges.
dandannn says:

23 Feb23 February 08:27

Only this week did I send off 100 350s which I bought a few months ago and hadn’t sent off yet. Checking the qualifying list now and I don’t see them on there, have they been taken off?
- avidsaver says:
  
  23 Feb23 February 09:05
  
  I don’t think 350’s have been accepted for some time. They were not on the list published in August last year.
  - dandannn says:
    
    23 Feb23 February 09:53
    
    Oh 🙁
    
    I knew I should have sent them in sooner rather than leaving them sitting around! Total waste of money.
- TimS says:
  
  23 Feb23 February 09:05
  
  Looking at the previous list i had, i don’t think 350s were on that one either?
  - Richie says:
    
    23 Feb23 February 21:04
    
    Haha
Jason says:

23 Feb23 February 08:44

I sent a box off about a month ago and nothing showing, on my account, yet.
Not sure which type, as I bought them on eBay and put the tesco envelope inside the box.
- Simon says:
  
  23 Feb23 February 09:49
  
  They should be processed within a month, oddly although some people have had problems sending in boxes most have reported they tend to be processed much quicker than the envelopes.
  
  It might be worth contacting The Recycling Factory to see what has happened, not knowing the type of cartridge could make things tricky if they start asking questions. You can request they send you your tally so far this year, i.e. how many have been processed, failed etc so you could try just asking for your tally at least you’ll know if they received the box then.
Jason says:

23 Feb23 February 10:21

Thanks Simon, I’ll find out from the ebayer, I bought them from, what type of cartridges they were.
First time I had used the service.
olybeast says:

23 Feb23 February 10:34

350s have never been on the list as far as I know
- M says:
  
  23 Feb23 February 10:52
  
  They were last year.
  - TimS says:
    
    23 Feb23 February 12:09
    
    They weren’t on the august 2013 list. i have a copy of that list on file and 350s were definitely not on it then.