Recycle Your Inkjet Cartridges
We dump 350 million empty cartridges each year into landfill sites and miss the opportunity to save ourselves millions of pounds.
Inkcycle will pay up to £5.00 for every ink jet cartridge you send for recycling. Remember, every cartridge that we recycle helps reduce landfill usage and improves the environment for everyone. More here
Alternatively, Oxfam have a scheme with LaserXchange which raises them £40,000 a year through people sending in empty ink-cartridges. For every suitable cartridge received, LaserXchange will donate £2.50 to Oxfam, and £1 for every suitable inkjet cartridge. More here
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Maidenhead, GB , 24 Aug 2005
We changed the ink on our HP printer this week, and included inside the box for the new cartridge was a pre-paid envelope for sending back the old one. Couldn’t be easier!
However, the envelope was addressed to go to France by air, so I’m not convinced just how much good it’s doing the planet over all.
04 Sep 2005
Will be taking my old cartridges to the local Oxfam store.
Anyone know a good (and not overpriced) source of refilled cartridges?
Nottingham, GB , 04 Sep 2005
We get ours refilled at Cartridge World rather than recycling them. After we’ve refilled 8 they plant a tree!
30 Sep 2005
Cooh.. have been doing this one for a while and raising money for the Brass Band I am in. I use Box-shift (http://www.box-shift.co.uk/cgi-bin/empties.asp) to return a fair few cartidges now and all the money I earn off that goes to providing resources for our Training and Youth bands.
22 Oct 2005
Hooray for the useful links on this page! After having an empty cartridge float arounsd on my desk for a month with no recyclable home to go to, it’s now winging it’s way to the Oxfam scheme. Thanks!
09 Nov 2005
I got a (biodegradable) freepost envelope from Ink Xpress as an insert with something in the post. Easy to send off old cartridge to be reused and get replacement in the post. Cost £14.99 for a colour HP one (less for others, cheapest 4.99) plus 1.50 p&p. Have no idea how this price compares with othe refilling places. Also haven’t actually used the recycled cartridge yet so can’t guarantee it works.
24 Nov 2005
I tend to send mine to a mental disability charity, which feel often gets left out of mainstream society.
01 Dec 2005
I’ve been saving them up with the good intention of recycling them, but need to get round to it. Will try… Need to try some of the links and look for an easy way to do it. Is this one where working together might help?
22 Dec 2005
We picked up some envelopes at Age Concern to send them back in, they are working with Tesco and you can opt to donate £1 for every cartridge you send to Age Concern or to give them 50p and 50p goes on your clubcard. I thought this was a great way to encourage people to recycle and hopeful to chose to donate to charity … winners alround.
08 Jan 2006
Couldn’t find the cartridges I use (Lexmark #71) on the Oxfam compatability list. Does anyone know of any alternative sites?
16 Jan 2006
currently recycle cartridges, but am interested to see if are able to have them refilled, have tried doing it myself but unsuccessfully :-(
Nancy, FR , 14 Feb 2006
I saved cartridges for years, never knowing where I could recycle them. Unfortunately, when I moved I finally chucked them. At least now I know what I can do about them in the future!
19 Feb 2006
Definitely something that’s easier to do in bigger groups. I think I might even start to collect the cartridges in our Watling Valley churches and then send them off in bulk.
GB , 24 Mar 2006
The objective here is RECYCLE not refilling as I discovered to my horror recently. went into a certain high street chain that some of you have mentioned…..got the refill….then paid over the odds on what i’d paid for new cartridges. After all that the print quality was so bad that I would never do it agin. However, my supplier – who is a specialist stationary supplier does send all the empties back to the relevent companies, although what hey actually do with them….well thats anyones guess.
04 Apr 2006
I take mine to the local charity shop,who initially didn’t know what I was talking about.Must say that I felt like leaving the shop but I asked to see the person in charge who took them with thanks. No problem now in donating them!!
12 Apr 2006
I’m responsible for ordering and disposing of them at our (small) office. We don’t get through loads, but am very glad to hear about the Oxfam scheme and will be sending our empties their way!
Haverfordwest, GB , 08 Sep 2006
Recently bought a new HP printer, partly because I can recycle their cartidges, so will start doing that the first time the cartridge runs out. We also have an couple of Epson printers, but I can’t find anyone that recycles Epson cartridges. Any suggestions?
10 Sep 2006
All the staff, parents & children at the school where I work recycle cartidges from home and school – also mobile phones. If you’re not sure what to do with yours try contacting the local primary school.
24 Sep 2006
I’ve got the same problem as nickthevic – can’t find anyone who recycles Epson / Epson compatible cartridges. Perhaps we should raise the matter with Epson…?
07 Nov 2006
I used to have a great battle with the kids. I would give them the cartridges for their school’s recycling scheme and they would quietly lose them. Now I have a box of Chrisitan Aid Recycling bags on my desk and it will be entirely my responsibility to make sure this gets done.
Dublin, IE , 15 Dec 2006
the charity ‘Love Russia’take printer cartridges, you can send them to
Love Russia Empty Printer Cartridge Appeal
Freepost Ang 20541
PO Box 193
Ipswich
IP10 0BR
you can check out their website at: http://web.ukonline.co.uk/love.russia/
08 Feb 2007
Does anyone know where to recycle photocopier toner cartridges?
28 Feb 2007
There’s a new shop in town that seems to do nothing but recycle cartridges. Don’t think it’s Inkcycle, but someone else. We’re doing it all the time now, I’ll try and find out the name.
Amersham, GB , 14 Mar 2007
Hi Nicki -
Looks like Oxfam recycle toner cartridges – see the link at the top of this page.
Plymouth, GB , 25 Nov 2007
Why not organise recycling of toner cartidges at work? I raise money for Devon Air Ambulance at the school I work in. I also advertise in the newsletter so that students can bring theirs in from home too.
Canon photocopier cartridges can be sent postage paid to a company called Nipon. They don’t give you any money but they do recycle them. I suggest you ring your copier service provider to ask them for their arrangements.
23 Aug 2008
Our organisation is now recycling to raise funds for our work we do with charities and communities across the country and overseas. Our recycling appeal allows you to recycle the majority of Hewlett Packard®, Lexmark®, Dell®, Canon®, Brother®, Samsung®, Sharp®, Apple®, Olivetti® Xerox® and Phillips® are able to be recycled as well as laser toners too. Mobile Phones can also be recycled, as well as old PDA’s.
It is estimated that over 600 million ink cartridges and laser toners get thrown in the bin and sent to landfill leaving millions of old mobiles thrown at the back of wardrobes and in drawers, when they can all be recycled with our appeal.Our scheme is unique as we can accept the majority of UK used ink cartridges and laser toners, raising up to £1 each if they can be recycled. We also accept all mobiles and PDA’s, so you can get hunting and get recycling, and don’t forget, if you have large amounts – we can arrange a free courier collection.
So far we have been overwhelmed with the response to our appeal. Businesses up and down the country have supported us too. Also if you have hundreds of ink cartridges, mobiles or laser toners in a cupboard or at your work please do contact us as we will recycle them all. As an organisation, we can offer freepost envelopes or a collection box which can be displayed in your office, school or even your home, for people to put everything we recycle in.
To order freepost envelopes or collection boxes simply contact our fundraising team and tell us what you have to recycle and we will send you the appropriate materials you need.
To get your freepost envolopes email; recycling@fundraisngforcharities.org.uk
23 Aug 2008
I also recycle Epson Cartridges too!
email me if you have any: recycling@fundraisingforcharities.org.uk
19 Oct 2008
I donate mine to When you wish upon a star, a charity that grants wishes for terminally ill children. www.recycleinkcartridges.co.uk
26 Mar 2009
I give mine back to the company I buy them from www.q2612acartridge.co.uk and they donate them to charity
11 May 2009
I use different companies for differnt cartridges. We use a few different types at work so we shop around a bit. Coloursave -www.coloursave.com have a really good return programme for toners.