Disposing of toner – here’s how

You are not allowed to dispose of your printer’s empty toner cartridges in normal household waste, because toner is harmful to health if it has not been “melted” onto paper. We will show you how to get rid of empty or almost empty toner cartridges.

Dispose of toner: Get rid of the cartridges here

You are legally obliged to ensure that recyclable products are disposed of properly. From the moment the waste is generated, you are responsible for your electronic waste until it is finally processed. To prevent improper disposal, you may even face heavy fines. This fine can be up to 500 euros for several cartridges, depending on the federal state.

• You are not allowed to dispose of printer toner in normal residual waste, as toner is fine dust and harmful to health when it gets into the air.

• Instead, you can have empty toner cartridges refilled or drop them off at a refill station. You will often even get money for them, as the refill provider can usually reuse the cartridges.

• Alternatively, you can return the empty cartridges to the manufacturer using the free take-back service. To do this, contact your printer manufacturer’s customer service. This link will take you to HP’s recycling program, for example.

• If you live near a dealer for your printer manufacturer, you can hand in the cartridges there. Many electronics stores also accept the empty cartridges.

• If you don’t want to or can’t refill the cartridges or give them to the manufacturer, you can also take them to a recycling center or send them by mail to ElektroSchrott.de.

• The toner cartridges are then either reused or disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner. In any case, make sure you get a disposal certificate, so you are always on the safe side.

• There are some companies that will pay you for your old printer cartridges or toner. First, check whether these companies dispose of them in accordance with the current Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act.

• The higher the demand, the more you usually get for the empties. The provider Cartridge-Space GmbH, with audited certificates and proof of disposal, pays up to 14 euros (as of March 2022) per toner.