UK Empty Cartridge Recycling

There are plenty of local and nationwide services that recycle, or better yet, reuse your empty cartridges, and we've put together this guide to help find the best solution for you.

⚠️ Got any full / unused cartridges?

If you have full & unused cartridges still sealed in their packaging that were made by your original printer manufacturer, do not recycle them as empties — try our full cartridge guide instead:

Recycle Full Cartridges

This will raise much more for good causes, and your full cartridges are used as they were intended instead of just recycled as empties.

Recycle Empties for Good Causes

If your empty cartridges have enough value, it's best for them to be reused to raise funds for good causes instead of recycled as scrap — they're refilled and sold as 'remanufactured' cartridges, which uses much less oil and CO₂.

Help Prevent Malaria: Cartridges4Charity

Supports The Against Malaria Foundation, who distribute anti-mosquito nets to save lives by preventing the spread of malaria.

They have free recycling programmes for empty ink and toner cartridges — though you will need to check the models of your specific items to work out if they have enough value to cover costs and raise funds.

Recycle With Cartridges4Charity

Free Alternative Recycling Options

If your used cartridges are not eligible for Cartridges4Charity’s service, then it’s unlikely that you can raise funds for any charity from your items — instead, try these alternative recycling options, which will at least help the environment.

Return to Printer Manufacturer

Most printer manufacturers offer free collections or freepost labels for their branded cartridges as a courtesy to you as their customer, and some include a returns label in the new cartridge's box.

Recycle with Manufacturer

You must only send genuine, original cartridges made by that manufacturer — and not any recycled, refilled, "compatible" or "remanufactured" cartridges made by another manufacturer.

Local Recycling Drop-Offs

You can likely find a local shop or a council-run civic amenity site with cartridge collection boxes near you — they normally take any type of cartridge for free if you are a household user.

Find Local Drop-Off Point

These options all take both genuine, original cartridge types, and the recycled / compatible versions, so are good if you're struggling to find another place to send them.

If you are a business user, these options are unlikely to be useful for you unless you only have a couple to recycle.

Return to Supplier / Retailer

Ask your supplier or retailer if they can take back your empties as a courtesy to you as their customer.

They will want to do future business with you, so some will offer to recycle on a one-for-one basis when you buy new from them. If you have a managed print contract, they should offer free recycling as a part of the service.

Free Bulk Collection Services

If you use a lot of the larger toner cartridges, Revialis (who operated Staples' free collection programme) collect a minimum of 15 items free of charge.

You must return your cartridges in the cardboard boxes they provide (for free) and you must not send any toner bottles / cassettes / waste toner containers, or fusers, drums, imaging units or other electronics.

Viking offered a similar programme if you ordered their empty toner collection boxes - contact [email protected] if you are a Viking customer and wish to have your box collected.

Paid-For Recycling Options

If you’ve exhausted all the above, and do not qualify for any free services — or you do not have time to check and sort your items to return to the relevant manufacturers — there are services that will collect your cartridges and handle all your legal and environmental obligations for a fee.

Paying for a collection and disposal service is the easiest way to spend a minimum of time and fuss on your recycling.

Zero Waste Recycling

Collection of a medium-sized box (e.g. 60x40x40cm) up to 25kg (typically enough for 25 empty toners) is £31.00 + VAT (or £20+VAT if you arrange and pay for the shipping).

This works out as about £2 per cartridge if you fill a box with 20.

Book Collection with ZWR

They take any ink cartridges, laser cartridges, toner bottles, waste toner cassettes, imaging / drum units, fuser units, and transfer belts for printers.

They can also provide cardboard display and shipping boxes (60x40x40cm) at £5 each, and a £6.50 delivery charge for the order (all excluding VAT), but of course you can use your own boxes to help recycle.

By Post: CartridgeSave

If you have only a small number of cartridges and are happy to pay the postage, you can send your empties to CartridgeSave.

Visit CartridgeSave

Please bear in mind that a typical Royal Mail 2nd class small parcel (under 2kg) will cost you £3.20, and a typical toner cartridge is 1-2kg.

Why Recycle Empty Cartridges?

75% of empty cartridges in the UK are not recycled even though there are plenty of reuse and recycling options, and many of them are free and easy to use.

A typical cartridge, with its plastics and electronics, will take up to 1,000 years to degrade in a landfill site, but having an empty cartridge reused saves up to 2.5kg of CO₂ compared to making a new cartridge from scratch.

everycartridge.com is here to help you to find and use the many services that exist locally and nationwide, and cut through the misinformation to ensure that your cartridges do not go to landfill.