Has your printer stopped working and is cluttering up your home or office? Often people and businesses find that repairing their old printer is very expensive, so they prefer to purchase a new printer. In other cases, the cost of the printer cartridge is very high, or you have found a new printer model that is more cost-effective. Hence you would like to find out the best way to get rid of your existing printer while complying with the relevant laws.
Printer disposal
Printers like most electronics contain a large variety of materials like plastic, metals, and chemicals. These metals like lead and chemicals are toxic and can pollute the environment. Hence disposing of them in the trash is illegal in many places, and can lead to fines.
So if you wish to get rid of the unwanted printer, you should contact a specialized Printer Recycling facility. The printer disposal method will depend to a large extent on the condition of the printer. If the printer is in working condition, there are many options available but if it is not working it can be taken to an Electronics Recycling facility that handles non-working electronic gadgets.
Another option available is to check if the printer manufacturer has a buyback or exchange program for the printer. Most of the major printer brands like HP, Epson, Canon have a provision for recycling printers. You can check the recycling section of their website to get more information, and in some cases, the amount they will pay for the used printer.
Used working printer
In many cases, families and businesses will upgrade their existing printer and purchase the latest printer model which is available in the market for greater efficiency, cost savings. In this case, you can either resell the printer, exchange the printer or donate the printer to a charity or nonprofit.
There are many businesses and individuals who have a limited budget, and cannot afford a new printer which is expensive. Hence they are looking for a cheap used printer, and advertising the printer for sale, can help you find these printer buyers. It is usually easier to find buyers for used laser printers since they are expensive.
Many printer sellers will give a substantial discount to you if you avail of their exchange offer, and exchange the used working printer for a new printer. In other cases, you can donate the used printer to the various charities working with poor people. These charities often advertise their requirements or are associated with charities working in poor countries.
Non-working used printer
In case the printer is not working and the warranty period is over, the user can take it to the shop where he purchased the printer or any local computer hardware repair shop. In some cases, especially for expensive printers, if only minor repairs are required, the computer hardware store, may pay some money for the non-working printer. The shop may have customers who are interested in purchased used printers.
However, most inkjet printers are inexpensive, and repairing a non-working printer is expensive. Hence they are treated like other Ewaste and taken to an Ewaste recycling facility. The printer will be disassembled to separate the various plastic, metal parts, electronic components, toxic chemicals, lead, which are then recycled or disposed of.
Often the ink used in the printer is having toxic chemicals, so the cartridge should not be disposed of using conventional methods due to the pollution it will cause. Ink recycling is recommended so that the unused ink is processed and used again. For inkjet printers, the cartridge can be refilled and used at least a few times, to save money.
Tips for printer disposal
Before checking the options available for getting rid of the used printer, it is advisable to collect all the information about the printer, so that it can be easily provided to the person buying, recycling or using the used printer. This information includes:
- printer brand and model number
- the serial number of printer
- year in which printer purchased
- condition of the printer and details of the problem if any
- whether the printer has been repaired earlier
- details of the cartridge used, and whether it will be supplied
All this information will help you get the best deal while recycling the printer.
Sources :
https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/10020-get-rid-of-old-printers.html
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-recycle-or-donate-your-old-printer
