Toner Cartridge Recycling Guide

Do you have a bunch of used printer toner cartridges sitting around? Don't throw them in the trash ... recycle them! Printer toner cartridge recycling is not only good for the environment, it can occasionally earn a few dollars for you.

Why recycle printer cartridges?

• Over 13 printer cartridges are disposed of in an American trash can every second, totaling an estimated 375 million each year.
• The plastics used in printer cartridges are made of an engineering grade polymer that takes more than 10 centuries (that's 1000 years!) to decompose.
• 25 million printer cartridges go to land fills each month. The recovery, reuse and recycling of all these empty printer cartridges will save tax dollars since we all pay taxes for landfills through waste management costs.
• Many cartridge companies now re-use almost 100 percent of old cartridges to produce new ones. It takes about 80 percent less energy to remanufacture the cartridge plastic than to produce it from new materials. Also, remanufactured laser cartridges use about half the amount of oil needed to make new cartridges. The process also saves over 38,000 tons of plastic and metal from landfills.

How to recycle printer cartridges?

Unfortunately, only OEM cartridges are accepted in most paying recycling programs. An OEM cartridge has never been recycled before and bears the name of the printer brand like Brother, Canon, HP, Lexmark etc. Cartridges that have variations of the words "remanufactured", "compatible with", "replaces" or "manufactured from new and used parts" printed on the cartridge will not be accepted by most programs.

Cartridge recycling is perfect for organizations that want to raise funds for a specific cause or for businesses and home owners that want to cut costs on printer cartridges. The compensation you get for a printer cartridge varies and is dependent upon factors such as: cartridge type, printer brand, cartridge model, amount of returned cartridges, recycling company.

Where to return your printer cartridges

• Companies offering printer cartridges recycling programs will provide you with easy to follow instructions on how to recycle your cartridges. Most recycling companies will also offer you pre-paid shipping and free packaging material ¡V check the individual programs since options may vary. If you intend to recycle on a regular basis and can offer larger quantities of printer cartridges you will probably be eligible for a free pickup by the recycling company.
• All major printer manufacturers have their own recycling program. Read the instructions that came with your cartridge package to find out how to send in your old cartridge for recycling. Links to respective printer manufacturers recycling program can be found below:
  • Brother
  • Canon
  • Dell
  • Epson
  • HP
  • Konica Minolta
  • Lexmark
  • Okidata
  • Panasonic
  • Samsung
  • Xerox
• Host a Fundraiser

  There are many organizations that support inkjet cartridge collection fundraisers, such as:

  • CURE Recycling donates the funds raised by cartridge collection to fund cancer research.
  • Funding Factory will help you raise money for your school or organization when you collect printer cartridges.

• Find a Drop-Off Spot

  Local office supply stores often offer incentives to recycle cartridges, such as returning a cartridge in exchange for a ream of paper. You can also check to see if a local school is collecting for a fundraiser.

  Find a local printer cartridge recycler by doing a search below.