We’ve covered the toner/ink cartridges in the past but have now had an email from Wendy Johnson Houghton about the machines themselves:

I have recently purchased a new printer for my personal use.

I now have a printer which sort of works, but not brilliant – and I want to know whether it is recyclable?

If it’s still working – as you say it is, someone else might prefer to take a chance on refilling the existing cartridges or replacing them with cheaper ones – so it might be worth offering it on your local Freecycle group.

Any other suggestions?

(Photo by brokenarts)

I suspect this is another recycle rather than reuse thing but again, I’m not sure how to go about recycling them.

Until recently, we didn’t have a printer at home and when I was at work, there was a helpful box in reception or the photocopying room that mystically took away my old ink/toner cartridges and turned them into money or unicorns or something.

As my description of the work-recycling process might indicate, I don’t know where those cartridges ended up so now we have a printer at home, I have a couple of cartridges and don’t know what to do with them. We’ve got a HP black and white laser printer and an Epson colour one (both second- or third- hand, I might add).

A quick search turns up a variety of options but aside from Oxfam who I suspect aren’t lying, I don’t know if the companies do with the money/cartridges as they say they will. And what about the Epson ink cartridges that Oxfam can’t take?

Any suggestions?

(Photo by aarenyes)