Recycling Printer Cartridges: Where To Take Used Cartridges? How Are Old, Used Laser Printer Cartridges Disposed Of?

2024 Author: Beatrice Philips | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-18 12:09

Printing devices and printers are widespread in modern life. An office workflow is impossible without the use of one or more printers. Enterprises and organizations most often use laser printers . They allow you to print a large number of sheets in a short time. But laser devices are popular not only in office premises, many use this type of printers at home as well.

All laser printers require a cartridge filled with special toner to work . You can use this cartridge several times by refilling the used cartridge with toner. But sooner or later, even high-quality cartridges from well-known manufacturers break and fall into disrepair … In some cases, a service technician is able to repair a cartridge by replacing individual parts with new ones. But it happens that after a long service life and numerous refills, the cartridge cannot be restored. Then the question arises as to how can this kind of waste be disposed of.

Danger of used cartridges

Laser cartridges are classified as III and IV hazard class . Each print cartridge consists of:

• plastics;
• metal;
• toner.

It is strictly forbidden to dispose of old cartridges in the trash can with household waste . When disposed of in a landfill, the process of decomposition of the plastic cartridge body will take several hundred years. And in the case of burning debris in the process of burning plastic, toxic substances will enter the atmosphere and soil. Since the composition of the plastic used in the manufacture of the cartridge case contains such hazardous substances as polystyrene, acrid smoke will be released during combustion, which can cause cancer.

Toner inside the cartridge is equally toxic . It contains soot, vinyl acetate, metal oxides. The accumulation of these components in the human body can cause disturbances in the functioning of the lungs, heart, and kidneys. In addition, toner particles are much smaller in size than dust particles, and when inhaled, they will not be released outside by the respiratory system, but will settle on the lungs and bronchi, causing respiratory diseases and severe allergic reactions.

Therefore, used ink cartridges from laser printers must not only be properly disposed of, but also stored in a separate room until disposal in order to avoid possible problems caused by inhalation of toner particles.

How is disposal carried out?

On the territory of the Russian Federation, waste disposal belonging to the III or IV hazard class is carried out on the basis of the law "On production and consumption waste ". Based on this regulation, only specialized organizations . To carry out such activities, a hazardous waste disposal company is issued a license. These can be both separately registered enterprises dealing directly with utilization, and firms selling office equipment.

In the first case for the provision of recycling services by a specialized company, a separate contract for the provision of services will be required and additional financial expenses.

When concluding a contract for the purchase of office equipment with a store or a printer manufacturer, the service of recycling used cartridges can be provided free of charge.

The process of recycling failed cartridges is carried out in two ways

• Processing … With this method, the damaged cartridges are sent to a processing plant, where they are cleaned of contamination, worn parts are changed and refilled.
• Thermal and mechanical decomposition … This is how the cartridges are disposed of, which cannot be recovered. The plastic and metal from which the body is made are crushed and remelted to obtain recyclable materials. Remaining toner is subject to thermal shock at 1000 ° C. Exposure to high temperatures prevents corrosive substances from being released into the atmosphere and contaminating it.

Where can I drop off the cartridges?

Correctly dispose of used cartridges should not only firms, enterprises and organizations, but also individuals . To resolve the issue of disposal of cartridges by a legal entity, an enterprise or organization that uses devices with cassettes in their work must have an agreement with a specialized organization. If a cartridge from a laser printer, for one reason or another, cannot be restored and refilled with toner, then the person responsible for transferring the cartridge for recycling should perform the following actions:

• to collect a commission, whose members will sign an act on the impossibility of further use of the removable device;
• ensure the storage of the failed cassette until the moment when it is taken by the representative of the recycling company;
• call an employee of the company engaged in the recycling of cartridges;
• sign the act of acceptance and transfer of the cassette for processing;
• submit the received documents to the accounting department of the company to write off the cartridge transferred for disposal.

Legal entities should take seriously the issue of disposing of replacement cassettes for laser printers. In case of non-observance of the specified norms of utilization together with household waste, upon revealing this fact, a fine of up to 250 thousand rubles may be imposed on the company . If you use a laser printer at home, then you should not throw the cartridge into the trash can either. In case of identification of the cartridge belonging to an individual, a fine of up to 20 thousand rubles may be imposed.

In the event that a legal entity or individual does not know where to put a faulty replacement cassette, then information about companies involved in the disposal of such waste can be obtained from the seller who sells laser printers or a service center that specializes in servicing, repairing, and refilling toner. And also more detailed information on disposal can be obtained directly at website of the organization engaged in processing. In different cities, such organizations have different names.

The most common are organizations such as Eco Cartridge. rf "," First Utilization Company "," EcoProf ".