Quick Verdict
Never throw ink or toner cartridges in curbside trash or recycling. Every major cartridge manufacturer (HP, Canon, Epson, Brother, Lexmark, Xerox) offers free mail-back labels. Staples and Office Depot / OfficeMax accept cartridges in-store, often with a small store credit. Best Buy and Oregon E-Cycles partners take them too. Toner cartridges in particular contain fine carbon powder that should not be breathed in -- always keep them sealed during handling.
Cartridges are one of the easier items on this list to dispose of. The manufacturers want them back for the plastic shells, the steel frames, and the residual ink/toner that can be refilled. Free shipping labels exist because the math works for them.
Why You Cannot Trash Cartridges
Three reasons:
- Waste volume. Hundreds of millions of cartridges go to landfills globally each year. Each one takes centuries to break down.
- Residual chemistry. Ink contains pigments and solvents; toner contains styrene polymers, iron oxide, and trace metals. Neither belongs in landfill leachate.
- Recyclable components. The steel drums, plastic housings, and chips all have value.
Oregon does not formally ban cartridges from trash, but curbside recycling programs reject them, and every major retailer has a free take-back. Trashing them is just a lazy habit.
Oregon Disposal Options
1. Manufacturer Mail-Back (Free)
- HP Planet Partners: Free prepaid labels. Print from HP's website, drop at USPS or UPS.
- Canon Cartridge Return: Free prepaid labels for Canon-branded cartridges.
- Epson Recycle: Free return program, primarily for high-volume business customers but open to residential.
- Brother Recycle at Home: Free mail-back for Brother cartridges.
- Lexmark Cartridge Collection Program: Free labels for Lexmark cartridges.
- Xerox Green World Alliance: Free take-back for Xerox toner.
2. Office Supply Retailers
- Staples Recycling Program: Accepts ink and toner in-store. Members of the Staples rewards program earn credit per cartridge.
- Office Depot / OfficeMax: In-store recycling, with rewards member credit.
3. Big Box Electronics
- Best Buy: Accepts ink cartridges in-store at no charge as part of its broader electronics recycling program.
4. Oregon E-Cycles Partners
Goodwill, Free Geek (Portland), Green Century Electronics Recycling, and other Oregon E-Cycles partners often accept cartridges along with other small office e-waste.
5. Metro and County HHW
Metro HHW bays and many county HHW events accept cartridges. This is useful if you have other items to drop anyway. See where to recycle electronics in Oregon for the facility list.
6. Refill and Reseller Programs
Local Cartridge World franchises and similar refill shops buy back some empties. Value varies wildly by cartridge model -- name-brand HP and Canon laser toners fetch the most.
Step-by-Step Preparation
- Let the cartridge cool if just removed from a printer -- it is warm but not hot.
- Place the cartridge back in its original packaging if you have it. Otherwise a zip-top plastic bag.
- Do not remove the sealing tape if the cartridge is unused. Sealed cartridges can be resold or refilled.
- Do not puncture, shake, or force-open toner cartridges. Toner dust is a respiratory irritant and a fire-initiation risk in a confined vacuum cleaner bag.
- Tape contacts on cartridges with exposed electronics.
- Group by manufacturer if you have many -- it makes mail-back paperwork simpler.
- Use a sturdy outer box for mail-back -- printer paper box works well.
Cost Expectations
| Option | Typical Cost |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer mail-back | Free (including postage) |
| Staples / Office Depot in-store | Free, rewards earn small credit |
| Best Buy in-store | Free |
| Oregon E-Cycles partner | Free |
| Metro / county HHW | Free within residential limits |
| Junk removal (bundled with other items) | No incremental fee typically |
Current Market Reality
Free is realistic for everyone. Cost enters the picture only when a business is closing or relocating and has a storage room full of hundreds of cartridges, or when an estate turns up decades of old cartridges no longer in any manufacturer's return program. At that point a haul-it-all approach from a junk removal crew saves hours.
Special Cases
Dried-Out or Leaking Cartridges
Leaking ink cartridges should be double-bagged before mail-back or drop-off. Some programs will not accept visibly damaged cartridges -- HHW is the fallback.
Off-Brand / Refilled Cartridges
Manufacturer programs usually accept only their own branded cartridges. Off-brand (third-party refilled, remanufactured) cartridges still go to Staples, Best Buy, HHW, or E-Cycles partners.
Printer Ribbons (Dot Matrix, Typewriter)
These are not ink cartridges in the modern sense. Most go to e-waste.
Label Printer Tapes
Small label printer cartridges (Brother P-touch, Dymo) follow the same path as ink cartridges.
Commercial-Scale Cleanouts
A company switching printers or moving offices often has racks of partially used cartridges. Manufacturer programs scale to this -- HP in particular has bulk pickup options. Or have the cleanout hauler take them alongside office cleanout work.
When to Call a Pro
Call a professional junk removal service when:
- You are doing an office cleanout with hundreds of cartridges
- You are clearing an estate and cartridges are mixed with general junk
- You have damaged or leaking cartridges contaminating other items
- You are combining cartridge disposal with general e-waste recycling
For office and estate cleanouts, see junk removal. Enter your ZIP in the price box to see which services are available at your address. Ask how cartridges are handled with the rest of the e-waste -- it beats 20 mail-back envelopes.
FAQ
Can I refill my own cartridge? Yes, with refill kits. Quality varies. For printers still under warranty, manufacturer-refused refills may void warranty.
Are old (1990s) cartridges still recyclable? Yes, even very old cartridges generally go to e-waste. HHW will route them if manufacturer programs will not.
Can I throw a dried-out cartridge in the recycling bin? No. Curbside recycling does not accept any ink or toner cartridges.
What about a 3D printer filament spool? Not the same thing. Empty filament spools are typically curbside trash or can be reused as cable organizers.
Do I need to clean the cartridge before returning? No. Manufacturers and retailers expect used cartridges. Do not try to clean toner with water -- it makes a mess.
Next Step
For a home printer with one or two empties a year, grab a free HP or Canon label and drop them in the mail. For an office move or closure with a real pile, contact Otesse. Ask whether the cartridges, printers, old monitors, and filing cabinets can go all at once.
