How to recycle printer cartridges

Why can't I throw away ink cartridges?

Every year millions of ink and toner cartridges are thrown away, rather than recycled. In fact, over 350 million printer cartridges are disposed of in landfill worldwide each year, each one containing plastics that can take up to 1,000 years to decompose. All of these discarded cartridges contribute to filling landfills, adding pollutants and toxins to the environment.

How should I dispose of printer cartridges?

Printer manufacturers now allow you to send off your old ink and toner cartridges to be recycled once they’re empty. So instead of throwing them in the bin and contributing to the landfill crisis, you should be able to box up your empty printer cartridges and send them back to your manufacturer, who will then recycle them for you.

Almost all of your genuine ink and toner cartridges, up to 97% in fact, can be recycled, so there’s no reason not to recycle them. Not only does this limit waste considerably, but it also cuts down the cost, both financial and environmental, of manufacturing new ink and toner cartridges. So, this ultimately means the cost of ink and toner cartridges can be kept reasonable for you later down the line.

What happens to ink cartridges when they are recycled?

When it comes to limiting your environmental impact through recycling, Brother is ‘At your side’. We take our commitment to the environment seriously, so we’re here to help make recycling your ink and toner cartridges easy.

When you send cartridges back to us absolutely nothing goes to landfill, and we make sure we remanufacture and recycle your used cartridges with as little impact on the planet as possible.

You can earn more about our market-leading process here.

How to send back your empty Brother ink and toner cartridges

When you’re ready to recycle your used Brother Genuine ink and toner cartridges, all you need to do is follow four simple steps.

1. Head over to our website and choose the product you wish to recycle.
2. Depending on the product and the number of supplies you wish to recycle, choose the most suitable recycling option as there are a few.
3. Pack your used Brother Genuine ink or toner cartridges, or other supplies, sealing the package carefully to ensure they stay boxed up until they reach us.
4. Head to your local post office and send the package to us, completely free of charge.

It’s that easy to recycle your Brother Genuine ink and toner cartridges once you’re done with them. So if you want to do your bit for the environment, just let us know when you’re finished with your ink and toner cartridges, and we’ll send over what you need to recycle them.