Printer cartridge recycling: cartridges and printers go separately
Replacing printers often leaves machines, cartridges, toner bottles, paper and accessories in one storeroom. A cartridge box is only for the cartridges it takes. A large copier needs a plan to move it and a check for stored data.
We checked these options on 8 September 2026. They are independent schemes and retailer programs, not Crex services.
| What you have | Where to start | Check first |
|---|---|---|
| Used ink or toner cartridges | Cartridges 4 Planet Ark or Officeworks | Brand, cartridge type, nearest point |
| Regular cartridges from a workplace | Cartridges 4 Planet Ark workplace boxes | Eligibility and items accepted |
| One small desktop printer | Retailer or council | The model, quantity and any data |
| A fleet of printers or copiers | Crex business collection | Who owns them, drives, weight, access |
| Unknown or leaking consumables | Ask the scheme first | What it is and how to contain it |
Cartridges 4 Planet Ark
Cartridges 4 Planet Ark's public directory lists the brands it takes and its collection points. It takes inkjet and laser cartridges and some other printing supplies. Check the list for your item, as not everything beside a printer is accepted.
The same page explains workplace collection boxes. If your business goes through cartridges regularly, check your brands are covered before you order a box.
Keep cartridges whole with their labels readable. Follow the scheme's packing steps. Never empty toner bottles or open cartridges, and ask before sending any that leak.
Officeworks and local equipment options
Officeworks Bring it Back takes ink and toner cartridges. It also takes printers and scanners handed to staff. Check with the store first.
For council options, check your council's e-waste page and whether business items are allowed. Sustainability Victoria's e-waste guide explains where electrical items can go. Whichever option you choose, decide how the data will be handled first.
Printer cartridges disposal during a printer upgrade
Start with a simple list: models, numbers of each, attached finishers, loose cartridges and other supplies. Check for leased machines and managed print contracts, as you may not own them.
Pick someone to sign off on what is going. Label everything so supplies for the new printers are not loaded by mistake. Identify unknown consumables early, and keep leaking items apart.
Check the storage in the printer
Office copiers and multifunction printers can hold drives, address books and stored jobs. Ask your IT or print support team to find the storage and decide how it is handled. A reset, an empty tray or a dead machine does not mean the data is gone.
If you need each drive listed by serial number, say so before collection. Hard drives and data-bearing devices explains the options, and how we handle data has more detail. If your team removes a drive, keep it labelled with the copier it came from.
Prepare machines for collection
Send model details, sizes and weights, with photos of the path to the loading point. Include stairs, lift sizes, truck access and any attached feeders or finishers.
Keep printers upright and let your support team disconnect them. Do not take heavy units apart to fit them through a door.
What Crex does
Crex collects printers and photocopiers in volume from Melbourne businesses, or you bring them to our Braeside yard by arrangement. We price each job by load and access. There is no minimum, so tell us how many you have and what storage is inside.
Drives are wiped or destroyed the way you instruct, and the rest is recycled. You get written confirmation once the drives are destroyed. Add other office devices through e-waste collection, and use Contact to tell us about the batch. Send loose cartridges to a take-back scheme.