Maximizing Recycling Rewards Using MIRs

[pasharain]

If you recycle ink cartridges at Office Depot, you probably know that you can only get back recycling reward "money" up to the amount you have already spent in the store.* I use FREE rebate items** (NOT 100% back reward items) to get my "amount spent in store" up and thereby maximize the amount I receive in recycling rewards.

If you are an eBay seller, you can go one step further and sell the rebate items and use the funds on something you actually need.

*You can recycle up to 10 cartridges per month, which are valued at $2 each provided you spend $2 in the store for each cartridged recycled prior to recycling rewards being issued.

**Examples would include software that is FREE after MIR or any other item that uses a MIR. Please Note: Items that are advertised as 100% back in rewards DO NOT count toward the spending needed to obtain your recycling rewards.


If any of this does not make sense, please ask. I will be happy to help you.


This tip added to the tips "sticky" blog.

[ercin13]

when do you get the rewards? ive recycled about 5 or 6 cartridges this year and ive only spent about $5 on printer paper. is it a quarterly deal? i should probably go spend $ 5 to get my rewards.

[pasharain]

when do you get the rewards? ive recycled about 5 or 6 cartridges this year and ive only spent about $5 on printer paper. is it a quarterly deal? i should probably go spend $ 5 to get my rewards.

Yes, rewards are paid quaterly. In the past, it took several weeks after the quarter's end to receive a "reward gift card" in the mail. Now that the reward "checks" are moving online, it will be interesting to see if they come quicker.

Also, although rewards are paid quarterly, Office Depot will roll your recycling rewards over to the next quarter if you have not purchased anything in the store. They will do this a full year, allowing ample time for you to buy something and then receive your recycling rewards.

Any recycling rewards not "earned" through purchases in the store are forfeited at the end of the calendar year, Dec. 31st, and everything starts over again for a full year.

[pasharain]

Moving up to organize forum.

[pasharain]

to organize forum.

[pasharain]

[pasharain]

[pasharain]

[pasharain]