How to Recycle a Brother Ink Cartridge

Recycling spent ink cartridges prevents them from ending up in landfills.

Recycling a used Brother ink cartridge takes as little as five minutes and helps keep plastic out of local landfills. According to Earth911, companies recycle nearly 100 percent of spent cartridges by adding more ink. They can only do this if you return the used cartridge to them. Brother offers a free mail-in recycling program, or you can select drop-off options within your community.

Instructions

1. Print a free shipping label from the Brother International website (see Resources).

2. Package the spent ink cartridge in the plastic wrapping and the box from your new ink cartridge. Secure the box with packing tape and attach the printed label to the outside of the box.

3. Ship the ink cartridge back to Brother by dropping it off at your local post office, unless the shipping label instructs otherwise.

4. Call local office supply stores to find out if they have in-store ink cartridge recycling systems. These allow you to drop off the spent ink cartridge in the store, saving the time of packaging it. Earth911 notes that many stores provide incentives for in-store recycling, such as gifts.

5. Recycle your used ink cartridge through a recycling fundraiser or other program in your community. To determine whether your community has upcoming fundraisers or electronic waste recycling drives contact your town's recycling office.

Tips & Warnings

• Only recycle empty Brother ink cartridges.

References

• Brother International: Toner Ink & Used Consumable Disposal
• Environmental Protection Agency: Consumer Tips
• Earth911: Tips on Recycling Cartridges