Sample vials

[Spideysgirl]

When you use the ink sample up and are left with the empty vial? Do you rinse very well and save for making other samples to give away or toss it in the trash?

[Jon Szanto]

Trash? NEVER!!

Outside of the wastefulness, we have decidedly entered the era where plastic residue is gradually choking our planet. The less of this we put back (and don't be fooled by recycling, as a lot of it still either ends up in landfills or gets shipped overseas where it is also often dumped), the better. Give to pen friends, share ink, offer them up to anyone willing to pay postage, etc.

[dfo]

+1
I use mine to send samples to other fpgeeks.


Trash? NEVER!!

Outside of the wastefulness, we have decidedly entered the era where plastic residue is gradually choking our planet. The less of this we put back (and don't be fooled by recycling, as a lot of it still either ends up in landfills or gets shipped overseas where it is also often dumped), the better. Give to pen friends, share ink, offer them up to anyone willing to pay postage, etc.

[Dreck]

Sending empty ink vials to other FP Geeks is a great way to get them to share samples of what they have. I had nearly a dozen that someone gifted to me. I used them all to send samples of iron gall inks to folk who were interested in trying some, but not ready to pull the trigger on a whole bottle.

If you have empty, clean vials, I'll gladly pay postage for as many as you want to pass along.

[VertOlive]

Here in my part of the Texas Panhandle, there is no such thing as "recycle". That said, it's very difficult to find ink vials with trustworthy caps locally. If I'm lucky enough to get some, I wash and re-use them. I just sent my last supply of vials off as an Ink Bomb to a new local pen friend...

[Lunaelsol]

We sell samples in our network in the Philippines. Its more cost accessible to members

[FredRydr]

Rinse them. When Laura N offered us the much-missed Mystery Ink series, I sent all my cleaned vials to her. I'm slowly accumulating vials again.

Fred

[Chrissy]

I re-use all of the ink sample vials that I receive to send out ink samples to others. :)

[Lady Onogaro]

Trash? NEVER!!

Outside of the wastefulness, we have decidedly entered the era where plastic residue is gradually choking our planet. The less of this we put back (and don't be fooled by recycling, as a lot of it still either ends up in landfills or gets shipped overseas where it is also often dumped), the better. Give to pen friends, share ink, offer them up to anyone willing to pay postage, etc.

That's the truth (plastic residue ... choking our planet). The local TV news (and the newspapers) published an article in which the New Iberia sewer folks are asking the public to please stop flushing "flushable" wipes (despite the advertising, they aren't flushable; they do not disintegrate--they just congeal together, apparently, burning out the pumps at a rate of 10 to 12 a month). "In a year, that $100,000 in pumps."

Those little vials will never disintegrate either. It's much better to use them by sending friends ink samples or storing pen parts in them. Pill bottles work well for that, too. And if you can't use the pill bottles for pen parts, take them to the local animal shelter. They use them for the medicines they give the animals. They may be able to use the vials for that purpose, too.

Jon's right about recycling. A lot of companies use it for positive advertising, but at night, the trash all goes in the same dumpster whether it's labeled recycling or not.

[naimitsu]

Jon's right about recycling. A lot of companies use it for positive advertising, but at night, the trash all goes in the same dumpster whether it's labeled recycling or not.

That is truly disheartening to hear.
At work, we are on a "Zero Landfill" initiative to get us there by 2020. The prime example apparently a plant in Brazil that does Zero Landfill, but they have something like 10 bins to sort trash. I don't see that happening here as people still have issues scraping leftover food off of plates before dropping them into the bussing bins, which they also seem to have issues with stacking properly (but that's a whole other story).

I like the German method of burning the trash to provide electricity to the city. I was told that that is why they sort the trash so they can get a more efficient burn for producing electricity. Though how they filter the smokestack would be interesting as well.

[Jon Szanto]

No kidding:

Sweden is so good at recycling that, for several years, it has imported rubbish from other countries to keep its recycling plants going. (http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/sweden-s-recycling-is-so-revolutionary-the-country-has-run-out-of-rubbish-a7462976.html)

[dfo]

Fascinating info on recycling.

I also fill old ink sample vials with ink from larger bottles. I do this to keep my large ink bottles sanitary and sludge free—especially when filling vintage pens.

[Dreck]

Pill bottles work well for that, too. And if you can't use the pill bottles for pen parts, take them to the local animal shelter. They use them for the medicines they give the animals. They may be able to use the vials for that purpose, too.

At the risk of utterly hijacking this thread, homeless shelters often appreciate donations of pill bottles. They can use them to portion out shampoo and body wash for the people who benefit from their services.
Also, as long as we're on the topic of recycling, please, please, please for the love of all that is holy, DO NOT recycle paper. Paper, being made of trees, will disintegrate and enrich the soil on its own. Most commercial inks are soy based anymore, and not the dangerous rubber-based inks of yesteryear. Paper sent to a recycling plant will have to be rendered down. Clay, ink, food particles, oils, staples, etc must all be removed while the paper is re-pulped. A mixture of bleach, soap, and air bubbles is used to accomplish this, and the end result is approximately 1/3 the original weight of the paper sent to the mill is thrown into the landfill as bleach and soap waste.
This came up in a thread about a year or so ago, and someone opined that the technology must surely be better and more efficient now. My daughter researched paper recycling from TAPPI (Associated Paper and Pulping Industry) for a class project, and I am sad to say that they are still utilizing the same methods they have since the 1990's.

[Lady Onogaro]

Pill bottles work well for that, too. And if you can't use the pill bottles for pen parts, take them to the local animal shelter. They use them for the medicines they give the animals. They may be able to use the vials for that purpose, too.

At the risk of utterly hijacking this thread, homeless shelters often appreciate donations of pill bottles. They can use them to portion out shampoo and body wash for the people who benefit from their services.
Also, as long as we're on the topic of recycling, please, please, please for the love of all that is holy, DO NOT recycle paper. Paper, being made of trees, will disintegrate and enrich the soil on its own. Most commercial inks are soy based anymore, and not the dangerous rubber-based inks of yesteryear. Paper sent to a recycling plant will have to be rendered down. Clay, ink, food particles, oils, staples, etc must all be removed while the paper is re-pulped. A mixture of bleach, soap, and air bubbles is used to accomplish this, and the end result is approximately 1/3 the original weight of the paper sent to the mill is thrown into the landfill as bleach and soap waste.
This came up in a thread about a year or so ago, and someone opined that the technology must surely be better and more efficient now. My daughter researched paper recycling from TAPPI (Associated Paper and Pulping Industry) for a class project, and I am sad to say that they are still utilizing the same methods they have since the 1990's.

Thank you for this information, Dreck. I didn't know it before.

[Pterodactylus]

Sorry, but I can't agree to this.

Paper recycling is really important
Every 5th tree cut off world wide moves to the paper industry.

Recycling paper saves up to 60 Percent of energy and up to 70 Percent water. It creates much less CO2 pollution, reduces waste and emissions. Much less chemicals are needed than creating new paper. Water pollution is up to 10 times less.

Less energy, pollution, water, CO2, is consumed creating recycled paper.

Figures:

Recyclingpaper
(200 Sheets = 1 kg)
1,1 to 1,3 kg old paper
10-20 Liter Water
Energy: 1-3kwh
CSB value (measure value water pollution) 2-5 g

New Paper
(200 Sheets = 1 kg)
Wood:
2,2 to 2,5 kg
30-100 Liter Water
Energy: 3 -6 kWh
CSB value (measure value water pollution): 5-50g

[kevmid]

This is really interesting as I am a keen recycler although we have limited options.
Although it is related, maybe there should be a seperate thread on recycling as the question was about alternate uses of ink vials and those interested in recycling would miss out on this information.

[FredRydr]

I was just sent a vial from UK stock. It seems to have longer threads and a more secure seal than states-side vials.

Fred

[Paddler]

We recycle paper here; we shred it and use it to mulch our garden plants. The shreds are mostly white and reflect light up onto the leaves of the plants and increase photosynthesis. So old bank statements, mortgage ads, and stock prospecti, as well as hearing aid and male enhancement ads are helping to feed us. The stuff improves soil tilth and water retention and feeds the soil critters. We win several ways.

I read in the local fish wrapper that someone was arrested for being in possession of a pill vial that had no pharmacy label on it. Also, nanny doesn't want to find you with an outdated prescription label either. I am afraid that my fishing tackle box would send me so far up the river I couldn't hear the dogs bark. Anybody know how to bake a pie with a file in it?