Local Drop-Offs for Cartridges

Find somewhere local to drop off small quantities of used cartridges for free recycling — all options should take both original and compatible versions, but some are only suitable for the smaller ink types.

⚠️ 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 — they can be reused to raise funds for good causes:

Recycle Full Cartridges

Find Empty Cartridge Recycling Near Me

Local Cartridge Refill Shops

Find local cartridge refilling shops near your address either to get your empty inks and toners refilled for a low cost.

If you have small ink cartridges only, they will also likely take these for free recycling even if you are not getting a refill or buying a new cartridge.

Find Refill Shops Near You

It's a handy way to support your local high street, and they sell new and recycled cartridges, paper, accessories and printers. Call ahead to check opening times, and to check they will take your empty cartridges either to refill, or for free recycling.

Local Recycling Point Locator

RecycleNow have a database of thousands of recycling points across the country for printer cartridge recycling — including council-run recycling sites, Currys / PC World stores, and some other retailers.

Use RecycleNow Locator

When on their page, choose Where to Recycle a Specific Item » Others » Toner & Printer Cartridges » Continue and enter your postcode to find locations nearby.

Remember to call ahead to check opening times, and to check that the site is still operating. All these sites should take both small ink, and the larger toner cartridges — both original and compatible versions.

Council Civic Amenity Sites

Most council-run 'Civic Amenity' sites take waste electronics including cartridges — as long as your items were from household (or mixed home/office) use.

If your items are for business-use only or from an office or commercial premises, then they will not accept your waste.

Search above on RecycleNow, or contact your council directly to find out about your local sites — they may have a dedicated bin for cartridges at a specific site.

Or, if your council allows you to include small electricals in a roadside collection this may also be an option.

Currys / PC World

Currys / PC-World stores take back household levels of cartridges in their stores for free recycling, regardless of whether you make any kind of purchase or bought the cartridges there.

This is part of their obligations under waste electronics legislation as they operate large stores and sell lots of electronics.

Search above on RecycleNow. You can also return any other small electronics (up to 25cm in length) at the same time regardless of where they came from! Great for old electronic accessories, broken toasters, and cables and chargers.

Other Drop-Off Options

These are examples of stores you can try that are likely not listed on the RecycleNow locator above.

Asda stores

Many Asda stores have a recycling point for recycling small empty ink cartridges. Note: this is thus not suitable for larger toner cartridges.

Please look up your store's details and call ahead of time to check — not all stores have this facility and recycling details are not listed online.

Find your nearest Asda

Ryman's stores

Ryman's take any ink or toner cartridges for free recycling (in limited quantities).

They also offer a 50p discount on the purchase of a new cartridge for each cartridge returned (max £2.50 discount per purchase) but their prices are inflated anyway, so this might just be a good drop-off recycling option.

Find your nearest Ryman's

Tesco stores

Most larger Tesco stores ('Extra' and 'Superstores', but not 'Metro' or 'Express') have a recycling point for recycling empty ink cartridges. Note: this is thus not suitable for larger toner cartridges.

Please look up your store's details and call ahead of time to check — not all stores have this facility and recycling details are not listed online.

Find your nearest Tesco — and choose the 'Cafe' option to list only Extra and Superstores

Office Supply Stores

Any other office supplies stores are a good bet for free recycling of small quantities of cartridges — both ink and toner — but please call in advance to enquire about what types they accept and if they offer any promotion on trading in empties for a new cartridge purchase.

Not found a good solution?

If your items are from business use, or you have quite a few of the larger toner cartridges, the services above are unlikely to be able to help you.

Try the other options in our main empty cartridge recycling guide instead — you may be able to donate them for charity, send back to your manufacturer, or make use of a paid-for recycling service.

Please do not bin your cartridges in any circumstances — they will take thousands of years to decompose in landfill, and if you are a business you have a legal obligation to have your waste treated and disposed of appropriately.

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.