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Overview
There is a simple way to get free Lexmark ink cartridges. Lexmark has a program called Lexmark Rewards and with it you, can get up to 20 free cartridges each year.
Sign Up for Lexmark Rewards
Go online to the Lexmark website (see Resources) and get registered. If it's your first visit, you may be asked for your region and preferred language (although only U.S. residents are eligible to participate in the program). Then choose inkjet or color laser. In this case, the choice will be inkjet. Although there is a recycling program for Lexmark laser cartridges, it is not the Rewards program. Fill in your contact information and preferred printer model and you're done.
Purchase Cartridges
To be eligible for the free cartridge program, cartridges must be purchased online. After the fifth purchase within a 12-month period you will receive an email with a promo code for the free cartridge, plus a special link to use so shipping charges do not apply. The promo code must be used within three months from the issue date to get the free Lexmark cartridge.
Return Cartridges
Cartridges do not have to have been purchased from Lexmark to be eligible for the return program. They simply must be genuine Lexmark inkjet cartridges. Sign in to Lexmark Rewards online and request personalized, postage-paid return envelopes. When five eligible cartridges have been received by the company, you will get an email with a promo code and link to Lexmark Store. Again, this promo code must be used within three months.
More Details
Cartridges do not have to be purchased all at once. Five cartridges purchased any time during a 12-month period will be eligible for one free Lexmark ink cartridge. Multi-packs of cartridges count toward the total number of cartridges in the pack, so a tri-pack of eligible cartridges will count as three cartridges. The entire line of Lexmark inkjet printers qualifies, so it works even if you have an older printer.
What's the Benefit?
The benefit to the environment in returning cartridges is that they are recycled or reused. Reuse means that the existing usable components are reconfigured, cleaned and refilled, so unnecessary waste is not added to landfills. Recycled means that the usable components are processed into new materials. While reuse is preferable and results in less material ending up in the waste stream, either option is better than having old cartridges sit in landfills, where they may never decompose. Plus, the benefit to the consumer is saving money with free cartridges.
