What to Do With an Old Printer?

Jul 10, 2015

After all the hemming and hawing, you decided to buy another new inexpensive multi-fangled printer with all the bells and whistles. What can't it do??? The real question you should be asking yourself is what are you going to do with all the other outdated printers stacked in your office closet?

For sure, one thing that you are definitely not supposed to do is throw the old printers in the garbage dumpster. Many people do this and don't give a second thought about the environmental implications. Electronic devices possess caustic materials that are harmful to the atmosphere and its creature inhabitants. You wouldn't want unsuspecting animals to ingest hazardous waste from discarded printers when there are multiple options to rid yourself of these devices safely. First and foremost, extract all ink cartridges or toners from discarded printers and recycle them.

Below are several ideas on ways to properly rid your supply closet of these unwanted printers:

1) Sell used printers: You could make a little cash from your old printer by placing it on an online auction site like Ebay or an online classified like Craigslist
2) Donate old printers: You could be very generous by donating your old printer to non-profit organizations (which would also entitle you to a tax write-off). Many schools, churches, and community centers would welcome gestures of this kind.
3) Recycle old printers: You could recycle your printers. Most printer manufacturers have recycling options. Look on their website or on the back of the owner's manual for recycling programs. Another recycling option is to go to the site TheGreenPC.com and pay a small fee to ensure your printer (or computer) is properly disposed of in an environmentally compliant way.

Any method you choose to rid yourself of these discarded printers is acceptable as long as you are being kind to the environment.