Where are toner and ink cartridges & computers/printers "recycled"?

Question

Does anyone know if toner and ink cartridges and computers and printers "really" get recycled? What happens to the old stuff? How can someone actually get their old stuff truly recycled? What to do?

Answer 1

Yes, they're really recycled. The manufacturer's refill the cartridge with ink and sell it again.

Answer 2

Will this question is a bit strange and may be i didn't understand it but i will try to answer for what i understood. and my talk here about the laser printers not the inkjet printers.

The ink cartridge contains of several parts ( drum - toner place - some michainical parts ) .

1) if you are in a good country you through out your cartridge in the carbage and some company took it and melt it down and use the plastic parts.

2) but if you in a poor country like mine( egypt ) we get another toner package and open the cartridge and fill it with toner again.

3) How we do this : the traders of comuters here import this toner ( from eastern Aisa ) in big packages and they cut it in small packages and sell .

4) The last part of your question depends on two things :
a) the condition of the drum , if it have many stripes on it so it is over and you got to get rid of it and get another one, if the drum is good then you can change the toner only.

5) from where to buy the toner and the drum if you needed it ( any computer shop ) and of course i don't know do they get these things in your country or not.

I hope this answer will satisfy you .

Answer 3

You can refill laser toner but you should do it outside and wear old clothes because it can be messy. Often the results arent worth the bother because the refilled toner will be very light. You first have to completely empty the old cartridge of the remaining toner because it wont pick up the charge. If it mixes with the new toner the print will be too light. I have been able to refill HP toner with toner bought on ebay and Brother toner, though it needed a $4 part called a reset gear before it worked. Refilled Samsung toner never worked well.

Answer 4

The diabetes association has a web site where they recycle ink cartridges. I am not sure about the computers, but some places where they sell computers they also take them for recycle for schools and other places where children need computers.

Answer 5

I usually put the empty cartridges in an old coffee can. Then take them to my cities recycle center. The will either incenerate them or sell them for recycling.

Check with your City Hall to see if they have Clean Up days. This is where you can put out dangerous chemicals like paints , used oil, household cleaner etc. and the city will pick them up and dispose of them properly. My city does this twice a year. The other day the city counsel approved adding two additional time each year. Now there will be clean up days every 3 months. I love it.

Answer 6

Take the toners to a pc repair shop they refurbish. ink cartrige throw away and buy new. Computer and printers take them to the pay dump. Or I found a website that recycles.
http://www.surpusbuy.com