Learn how to recycle your old or unwanted printer responsibly with this simple guide.
Whether you have an old printer that’s collecting dust or you recently upgraded to a new machine, recycling is a great way to free up some office space and dispose of your printer responsibly. Here, we’ll explore four simple ways to recycle your printer so you can help make a difference in our environment.
Locate a local recycling facility
Recycling your printer locally is an obvious win for the environment and the benefits of those recycled materials stay in your community too! If you are not sure where the closest recycling facility is, we recommend visiting Earth911.com. Their site features a convenient recycling facility locator that provides a list of local recycling facilities in just a few clicks! Local e-waste collection events are another solid option. Cities and businesses host e-waste events frequently and they make it easy to dispose of electronics like computer monitors, televisions, shredders and of course, printers.
Drop your printer off at a local office supply store
Check the website of your local office supply store to see if they accept recycled electronics – most major stores will gladly accept old printers free of charge!
Turn your printer into cash
Selling your printer is always an option if you would rather try to make a little cash. Post your printer on an online marketplace site like ebay, Craigslist, Facebook marketplace or NextDoor classifieds. Or, try selling it a community garage sale!
Donate your printer
If you’ve recently replaced your printer, look into donating your old printer to a local community center, senior center or classroom. You can also sell your printer on Ebay for Charity and donate the proceeds towards a favorite cause like the Red Cross or the Humane Society. Over 4 million people sell unwanted items on Ebay for Charity every year and they partner with 25,000 different charities! Don’t forget to include the power cord, user’s manual and USB cable along with your donation.
Before recycling your printer, make sure you prep the machine for proper disposal. Remove the printer cartridges from inside the printer and recycle those too. Anywhere that accepts an old printer will likely accept your printer cartridges! For additional recycling tips, check out our cartridge recycling blog article. We hope you found this guide helpful…if you have any printer recycling tips of your own that you’d like to share, feel free to drop us a line in the comments.
