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Cartridges 4 Planet Ark is an innovative recycling program that provides Australians with a free and easy way to recycle their used printer cartridges. On this RecyclingNearYou site Australians can find literally thousands drop off of locations around the country to recycle their used printer cartridges and toner bottles. Find out more.
Everything you need to know about recycling printer cartridges
Printer Cartridges includes:
Ink Cartridges
Toner Cartridges
Inkjet
Laser cartridges
Toner modules
Ink modules
Printing supplies
Supply cartridges
Cartridges
FIND A RECYCLER
Learn more about recycling printer cartridges
How to recycle printer cartridges at work
If your workplace, business, community group, university or school uses more than three inkjet, toner cartridges or toner bottles in a month, you may be eligible for a Cartridges 4 Planet Ark collection box.
Alternatively, you can use the directory on this page to find a commercial recycler that will accept large quantities of printer cartridges.
Why recycle?
When printer cartridges break apart in landfill, they have the potential to contaminate groundwater and the environment. Recycling your used cartridges instead of putting them in the bin, protects the environment and keeps the materials used to make the cartridges in use.
As cartridges are made up of a complex mix of plastics, metal, inks and toners, they represent a significant investment in resources. When they are disposed of into landfill these resources are lost. Recycling ensures these materials are used again, which reduces demand for mining new materials and associated greenhouse gas emissions.
What happens to them?
All cartridges collected through the Cartridges 4 Planet Ark program are sent to our recovery partner in Melbourne, Close the Loop™. The program has a zero waste to landfill guarantee, which means every part of the cartridge is recovered and used again.
At the recycling facility, the cartridges are hand-sorted and their brand and type recorded. Many of the laser cartridges are sent back to the original equipment manufacturers for re-manufacturing or component recovery programs.
As cartridges are made up of a complex mix of potentially valuable and/or hazardous raw materials, they require state-of-the-art equipment for safe processing and handling.
Inkjet cartridges, toner bottles and drum units are processed and reduced to smaller particles so they can be separated and sorted. Magnets are used to remove ferrous (iron-based) metals, while eddie currents are used to remove aluminium.
The result is the recovery of 'raw' materials, which can be substituted for 'virgin' or new materials in manufacturing to make new products.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I dispose of used printer cartridges?
Cartridges 4 Planet Ark is a free recycling program that has a zero waste to landfill guarantee. There are thousands of recycling locations across the country including many retailers and Aus Post stores, making it very easy to drop off used printer and toner cartridges for recycling.
Please note, only a few printer cartridges can be dropped off at public locations at one time. If your workplace or business has large quantities of cartridges to recycle, you can use the directory on this page to find a recycler near you.
If your workplace, business, community group, university or school uses more than three (3) inkjet, toner cartridges or toner bottles in a month, you may be eligible for a Cartridges 4 Planet Ark collection box. You can call 1800 24 24 73 or register online.
How to recycle old printer cartridges?
Cartridges 4 Planet Ark is a free recycling program that has a zero waste to landfill guarantee. There are thousands of recycling locations across the country including many retailers and Aus Post stores, making it very easy to drop off used printer and toner cartridges for recycling.
Please note, only a few printer cartridges can be dropped off at public locations at one time. If your workplace or business has large quantities of cartridges to recycle, you can use the directory on this page to find a recycler near you.
If your workplace, business, community group, university or school uses more than three (3) inkjet, toner cartridges or toner bottles in a month, you may be eligible for a Cartridges 4 Planet Ark collection box. You can call 1800 24 24 73 or register online.
Are printer ink cartridges recyclable?
Yes, but they should never be placed in your recycling bin at home or work as they will contaminate the other items in the bin. They can be recycled through commercial recycling services or through Australia’s free recycling program, Cartridges 4 Planet Ark. The program has thousands of recycling locations across the country, making it very easy to drop off used printer and toner cartridges for recycling.
Please note, only a few printer cartridges can be dropped off at public locations at one time. If your workplace or business has large quantities of cartridges to recycle, you can use the directory on this page to find a recycler near you.
If your workplace, business, community group, university or school uses more than three (3) inkjet, toner cartridges or toner bottles in a month you may be eligible for a Cartridges 4 Planet Ark collection box. You can call 1800 24 24 73 or register online.
Do Officeworks recycle printer cartridges?
Yes, printer and toner cartridges can be dropped off for recycling at most Officeworks stores. The cartridges will be recycled through Cartridges 4 Planet Ark program. Please note, only a few printer cartridges can be dropped off at public locations at one time. If your workplace or business has large quantities of cartridges to recycle, you can use the directory on this page to find a recycler near you, or find out whether you are eligible for a collection box through Cartridges 4 Planet Ark.
How to dispose of laser printer cartridges?
Printer cartridges from participating brands are accepted in the Cartridges 4 Planet Ark program. This includes inkjet cartridges, laser cartridges, toner bottles, fuser and drum units, fax rolls, print heads, waste hoppers/containers collectors and kits.
Where can I recycle printer and toner cartridges?
Cartridges 4 Planet Ark is a free recycling program that has a zero waste to landfill guarantee. There are thousands of recycling locations across the country including many retailers and Aus Post stores, making it very easy to drop off used printer and toner cartridges for recycling.
Please note, only a few printer cartridges can be dropped off at public locations at one time. If your workplace or business has large quantities of cartridges to recycle, you can use the directory on this page to find a recycler near you.
If your workplace, business, community group, university or school uses more than three (3) inkjet, toner cartridges or toner bottles in a month, you may be eligible for a Cartridges 4 Planet Ark collection box. You can call 1800 24 24 73 or register online.
Can I put printer cartridges in the recycle bin?
No. Printer and toner cartridges should never be put in your recycling bin at home or work. They can only be recycled through specialised recycling services.
Cartridges 4 Planet Ark is a free recycling program that has a zero waste to landfill guarantee. There are thousands of recycling locations across the country including many retailers and Aus Post stores, making it very easy to drop off used printer and toner cartridges for recycling.
Please note, only a few printer cartridges can be dropped off at public locations at one time. If your workplace or business has large quantities of cartridges to recycle, you can use the directory on this page to find a recycler near you.
If your workplace, business, community group, university or school uses more than three (3) inkjet, toner cartridges or toner bottles in a month, you may be eligible for a Cartridges 4 Planet Ark collection box. You can call 1800 24 24 73 or register online.
Who recycles printer cartridges?
Planet Ark set up the Cartridges 4 Planet Ark program more than 20 years ago. The program has collected and recycled more than 57 million cartridges in that time.
he program is free to use because it is supported by participating manufacturers of printer cartridges: Brother, Canon, Cartridge World, Epson, HP, and Kyocera. Our Melbourne-based recycling partner, Close the Loop®, recycles the cartridges and is independently audited on an annual basis for its zero waste to landfill guarantee.
Why is it important to recycle printer cartridges?
As cartridges are made up of a complex mix of plastics, metal, inks and toners they represent a significant investment in resources. When they are sent to landfill instead of a recycling facility, these resources are lost. Recycling your used printer and toner cartridges ensures the materials are used again to make new products, which reduces demand to extract new materials from the earth and associated greenhouse gas emissions.
