» Can you take all empty printer cartridges?
Here’s the short answer: if we took all cartridges, or took a mix of usable and unusable ones, then any possible benefit to charities and the environment would be nullified.
There are no free cartridge recycling services that do not require you to check your cartridges, or will take all cartridges.
But, working out if we can take your cartridges, and what to do with any we can’t, is really easy by using our online 'Check your Cartridge in 60 Seconds' tool.
And the longer answer...
Money is only made for good causes by selling empty cartridges to be reused - not recycling them, which is an expensive process. Read more about how empty cartridges raise money for good causes. Or read more about the difference between reuse and recycling.
But I thought all cartridges could be reused?
All cartridges can technically be refilled, but in some cases it makes no sense to do so because of the resources that would be used.
For some printers, it uses less resources to create a new cartridge from scratch than to refill an empty one. This is true of Epson ink cartridges, toner bottles used in some laser printers, and some of Canon and HP's cartridges, which are simply light plastic tanks with a very basic electronic chip attached. New cartridges created by companies other than the printer manufacturer are called ‘compatible’ cartridges.
In other cases, the monetary value of the empty cartridges is too low to cover the costs involved in processing empties. This is the case when there is not a high enough demand for the refilled versions, or where there are already many of that kind of empty cartridge in the market.
But what if I have cartridges that you don’t take?
If you have any cartridges we can’t usefully reuse, then we’ll help you to find places to recycle your cartridges for free. This is less good than reuse, but if the resources and cost required to reuse your cartridge are higher than the benefit, it’s a better idea to recycle. And this is certainly better than dumping your empty cartridges!
You can get clear and simple instructions for what to do with your cartridges by using our 'Check your Cartridge in 60 Seconds' tool.