Where Can I Recycle Printer Cartridges Apr 24, 2012 11:14 by Matt Bird
Considering how “environmentally concious” manufacturers are, it’s incredibly difficult to find recycling information. That’s why, with the help of recycling company Greensource, we have produced a comprehensive guide of recycling advice for nearly all major printer manufacturers.
Please note for the vast majority of cartridges we provide our own recycling scheme here. If you find your cartridges do not quality for these recycling schemes, then you can find your manufacturer below for their own recycling details.
Jump to recycling details for your manufacturer here:
Brother Cartridge Recycling
Recycling Brother printer cartridges is nice and simple! They have a dedicated recycling page you can find here, where you enter your personal details to generate a freepost form.
Not wishing to miss a trick, Brother have included a checkbox to subscribe you to an information mailing list, so make sure it’s not checked when you submit your details!
Once you’ve submitted your details they don’t make it clear where your freepost label is, so click the image to the left to enlarge a screenshot with the necessary link circled 
Canon Cartridge Recycling
Canon announced a recycling agreement with eReco to handle cartridge recycling. They operate a 0% landfill policy and all recycled parts are used towards a vast range of products, such as traffic cones, fire alarm casings and game consoles!
To utilise their service simply visit this link and follow the on-screen steps. Please note this is a paid-for service, and you’ll be charged a minimum of £34.50 + VAT for your recycling efforts.
You also receive a certificate of recycling, which is used for environmental reporting and for accreditations linked to environmental efforts.
The recycling scheme we run at Stinkyink accepts the vast majority of Canon products free of charge, so it’s probably best to limit the use of eReco to the few cartridges we don’t accept.
Dell Cartridge Recycling
Dell have got one of the clearest recycling schemes available for manufacturers, and I feel they should be applauded for their efforts. To start with, any Dell cartridge you receive should have freepost information included in the packaging.
If for some reason you’ve miss-placed your recycling label, head to Dells UK printer cartridge recycling page and select the recycling option you’re looking for (or skip a step and choose them below):
- Home Ink Cartridge recycling (up to 12 ink cartridges)
- Business Ink Cartridge recycling (up to 300 ink cartridges)
- Home Toner Cartridge recycling (single cartridge)
- Business Toner Cartridge recycling (up to 20 toners)
- Large Business recycling (alot of toners…..)
Epson Cartridge Recycling
Our recycling scheme does not accept Epson ink cartridges, and we typically advise cleaning the cartridge and dropping it into a plastic recycling bin. Epson ink cartridges are basically ink reservoirs, so this approach is fine.
If you’d rather use Epson’s own service, you will find Epson’s recycling scheme details here.
If you’re recycling an Epson toner cartridge, the Stinkyink recycling scheme can accept them or you can use the Epson recycling program, either way helps the environment!
HP Cartridge Recycling
Accounting for around 50% of the total printer market, there are an awful lot of HP cartridges out there. Thankfully our recommended Recycling scheme accepts the vast majority of HP cartridges, so go get your freepost recycling details here.
If you’d rather recycle through HP, you need to register for their scheme as either a Home Office User, small business or Enterprise, and once you’ve done that you can order return details that are completely free.
Before placing an order, don’t forget to check your HP box. The majority of them actually come with freepost details so you may already have the tools at your disposal!
Kodak Cartridge Recycling
Sometimes you wonder how Kodak could ever have gone bust. Then you see how unclear some of their information is and it kind of makes sense.
Kodak’s recycling scheme for the UK very helpfully informs you that you can recycle any Kodak cartridge at a participating Kodak Express Digital Solutions Program Store. If you speak to Kodak, they advise there are no stores now part of this scheme.
You’re in luck though, our recommended recycling program will take all your Kodak cartridges free of charge.
Konica Minolta Cartridge Recycling
The vast majority of Konica Minolta cartridges can go through our recommended recycling scheme here. If you’d rather use Konica Minolta’s recycling scheme, it’s split between the type of printer you have.
To recycling printer cartridges for the Magicolor and PagePro series, visit the Konica Minolta Clean Planet Recycling Progam here. This will provide free return labels for your cartridges.
For Konica Minolta Bizhub cartridges, you will need to contact their recycling partner eReco. Please note they charge £35 plus VAT for their recycling service, so you might prefer to use our service for free!
Kyocera Mita Cartridge Recycling
We accept the vast majority of Kyocera Mita cartridges through our toner cartridge recycling scheme, accepting both genuine and remanufactured Kyocera Mita cartridges.
If you’d rather recycle through Kyocera, they have a very simple recycling program here. Fill in your necessary details and they’ll generate an RMA number for you to place on your packaging.
Please note Kyocera only accept genuine Kyocera returns that have been packaged properly.
Lexmark Cartridge Recycling
Lexmark have a two-tiered recycling system, and no matter which you proceed with it is free to use.
For up-front savings and easy recycling, look for “Return Program” versions of the cartridges you purchase. This means your cartridge is cheaper up front to purchase, and the packaging will include returns details to get the empty back to Lexmark.
If you’ve either lost the returns details or purchased a standard Lexmark cartridge, you can find their recycling details in the following places:
Click here if you’re recycling Lexmark INK cartridges. You can order up to 10 pre-paid return envelopes through this scheme, which will be posted to you. Please note you’ll need to know the Lexmark cartridge number you are returning.
Click here if you’re recycling Lexmark TONER cartridges. Once there, you can select from a single return label or a container service if you’re recycling in large numbers.
Oki Cartridge Recycling
Oki have a nice clear recycling system, and they even accept back used fuser units, transfer rollers and more.
If you’re recycling FEWER than 10 toner cartridges, click here to go the Oki consumables recycling option and follow their 3 steps to pack the item. Once that’s done, request your pre-paid returns label and you’re good to go.
If you’re recycling MORE than 10 toner cartridges, or transfer rollers, PCU, Fuser Units, Ribbons or Imaging Drums, click here to request an Oki recycling bin. These are completely free of charge, and contain red lining bags that, once full, can be tied up and collected by Oki!
The bin dimensions are Width: 41cm, Depth 41cm, Height 73cm, and made of 100% recycled cardboard (this is for the environment after all!
Panasonic Cartridge Recycling
Panasonic like things simple and the division that heads up their recycling program, Panasonic Systems Networks Europe (PSNE) has made it as simple as can be.
If you purchase an original Panasonic toner cartridge, the freepost recycling details will be included. If you somehow miss-place this label, visit this Panasonic recycling page to request another one.
Ricoh Cartridge Recycling
Ricoh have an agreement with the same recycling company as Canon, which means you can enjoy toner collection bags (with cable ties) to collect up to 24 cartridges a time in.
Unfortunately, this company actually charges for recycling, a whopping £34.50 per bag which covers the cost of the bag, collection charges and recycling charges.
This is why we’d advise sending Ricoh gel and toner cartridges through our own printer cartridge recycling scheme here. (please note, empty Ricoh bottles cannot be recycled this way and must go through Ricoh’s recycling service).
If you’re happy with the cost, click here to register for the Ricoh recycling scheme. If you’d like more information on Ricoh’s recycling activities they can be found here.
Samsung Cartridge Recycling
Samsung win the best-named Recycling award, the Samsung S.T.A.R. program. This stands for ‘Samsung Takeback And Recycling Program’. So technically S.T.A.R.P. but we’ll let them off with that.
Samsung promise that any reusable parts will be used for new products, and the parts they cannot reuse will be disposed of responsibly, with a 0% landfill policy.
Click here to head to the Samsung S.T.A.R. program, select your country in the drop down and you’ll be taken to a 5-step plan (with 6-steps). Hover over each step for clear details.
Once you’re ready, click the “Print the Return Label” button at the bottom right of that page (UK users can click here for a shortcut) to register for the program and print your returns labels.
Sharp Cartridge Recycling
Sharp also use recycling company eReco for their environmental needs. This is not a free recycling service, however it does operate a 0% landfill policy which is to be applauded.
For information on the eReco agreement and possible costs of the Sharp recycling program, click here. If you’re already aware of the costs and wish to take part, click here to fill out an eReco form and request recycling bags/bins.
If you’re interested in a free recycling option, our own recycling system accepts the vast majority of Sharp cartridges.
Toshiba Cartridge Recycling
We’ve contacted Toshiba and are awaiting a response to confirm any UK available recycling program, as we’ve looked far and wide and as of yet had no luck.
Our own recycling program can take many Toshiba cartridges so, until we hear back from them, take advantage of our free service here.
Xerox Cartridge Recycling
Xerox came close in the naming prize with the “Xerox Green World Alliance”. They’ve created a nice simplified process on their UK recycling page here.
Follow the on-screen instructions for the consumable you’d like to return and you’ll eventually land on a Return Label Request form. Fill this in and you’ll be provided with a freepost label to print.
At the moment we have no idea how to recycle multiple cartridges at the same time as the system isn’t very clear, and we’d advise contacting Xerox if you’re returning multiple Xerox cartridges for different machines.
If you’d prefer a simpler recycling options, head to our own recycling scheme which simply gives you a freepost detail and collection guides for whatever you’re returning.
I’ve been blogging for eco-friendly contents that relates to printer supplies recycling. These information can be helpful for my blog, and mostly for all the internet users who are looking for the right recycling program for their particular manufacturer.