Proper Disposal of Printer Cartridges and Toners

Printer cartridges and toners are made from different plastics and metals. Depending on the type of cartridge or toner, many components are suitable for a second life cycle.

Table of Contents

Dispose of Empty Printer Cartridges in Household Waste?

No! First, the plastics and metals contained are not suitable for household waste. Printer cartridges are made mostly of plastic, or if they have a printhead (single-use printhead), they also contain metal. Secondly, many cartridges and toners can be refilled or recycled.

Unfortunately, about 90 percent of empty cartridges end up in the trash.

But you shouldn't! On the one hand, empty toner and printer cartridges are not environmentally friendly. On the other hand, you can potentially earn money with empty toner and cartridges, or do something good by donating toner. Many components can be reused several times.

What are Printer Cartridges Made of?

Printer cartridges and toner cartridges are technically complex components, containing not only ink or toner powder but also electronic and mechanical components.

Toner cartridges for smaller laser printers and multifunction devices, such as those used in small offices or medical practices, often contain toner, developer, and a disposable drum. In addition to various plastics and residual toner, cartridges are also made of different metals. Depending on the type, printer cartridges can have an integrated printhead (single-use printheads) and contain both plastic and metal.

Can Printer Cartridges be Recycled?

It makes sense that empty cartridges can be cleaned, refurbished, and refilled. Some parts are still good for a second life cycle, while others need to be replaced. Over the years, a whole recycling industry has developed for printer supplies.

Toner cartridges are refurbished and refilled on a large scale across Europe. For ink cartridges, it depends on the type. Cartridges with a single-use printhead are more valuable. Those that are just plastic ink tanks are less interesting. It all depends on the type of cartridge.

Can Printer Supplies be Refilled?

Original toner cartridges generally provide an excellent basis for professional refurbishing and refilling. However, don't do this yourself, but sell the cartridge online. For example, the company "Geld für Müll" buys and recycles empty printer cartridges and toners.

Some manufacturers that produce cartridges with an integrated printhead include:

HP
Canon
Lexmark
Philips

These printhead cartridges consist of an ink tank and a single-use printhead. The term "single-use" shouldn't be taken too literally. When professionally cleaned with ultrasonic cleaning and refilled with high-quality ink, these printer cartridges can deliver good print quality again.

For this reason, printhead cartridges are highly sought after for refurbishing. Many companies online pay for these cartridges and take care of collection.

Ink cartridges without a printhead are essentially just small ink tanks.

To make refilling unattractive, a small chip on the cartridge stores information such as the number of pages printed. When refilled, the printer may not recognize the cartridge anymore. These simple ink tanks are best disposed of in the recycling bin, yellow bin, or via manufacturer take-back systems.

What are Virgin and Non-Virgin Cartridges?

There is a distinction between whether printer cartridges have been refilled before or not. Original cartridges that are being emptied for the first time are called "Virgin Cartridges." These offer the best basis for professional cleaning and refilling. Depending on the type and buyer, the best prices are paid for virgin cartridges.

Cartridges that have already been refilled are called "Non-Virgin." If empty cartridges of a particular type are in short supply, you can still earn some money for non-virgin cartridges, though significantly less than for virgin ones.

Earn Money with Empty Printer Cartridges

We would like to suggest two methods for how you can "dispose" of your empty cartridges wisely:

The first method is: Donate the cartridges. Order a Caritas box, collect the cartridges, and donate them later.

The other option is to sell the cartridges.

In most countries, recycling centers accept printer supplies for disposal, free of charge. Sooner or later, everyone visits a recycling center to dispose of old electronics, etc. Environmentally friendly disposal is easy and demonstrates responsibility.