If you love to reduce, reuse, and recycle, you’ll want to start recycling your toner cartridges. But where and how do you do it safely? Here are some tips to help you choose the best way to recycle the cartridges from your old toner.
First, try to find some local organizations or businesses that will recycle your toner cartridges. For instance, some stores have drop-off boxes where you can leave them.
If you can’t find a local organisation, here are some national ones you may want to try contacting as they all recycle cartridges: Recycling Appeal, Age UK, Green Agenda, Each One Counts, and ActionAid Recycling.
If you decide to choose another organization, make sure that you find out for sure if they do recycle this item. It won’t do anyone any good to randomly send an item in that they might not have the facilities or expertise to recycle.
Once you have decided where to recycle your old toner, carefully remove your toner cartridges from your printer according to the directions that came with your printer. If you don’t have the directions, try looking up your printer model online to find instructions.
Next, clean any leakage or clumps of toner off the outside of the cartridge. This is just to save whoever handles it later from getting in on their hands—it’s really just a curtsey gesture. Now place your cartridge in a small plastic bag and either take it to your drop-off point or mail it to the organization of your choice.
You will get a sense of satisfaction from recycling an object that many people usually throw away. Try to look for other items around the home that you can recycle instead of putting in the bin. Get the whole family involved and see how much you can do for the environment!