How to Dispose of an Old Printer: Free Recycling, Wiping Data & What to Do First

Quick answer: don't put an old printer in the trash. Take out the ink or toner, wipe its memory with a factory reset, then drop it off free at Best Buy (any brand, up to three computing items per household per day), a participating Goodwill through Dell Reconnect, or your town's e-waste collection. If it still works, donate it. Recycle the cartridges separately. In some states, including New York, throwing a printer in household trash is against the law.

Updated October 10, 2026 · By William Elward, founder of Castle Ink (helping people with printers and ink since 2005)

Can I Throw an Old Printer in the Trash?

In many places, no. Printers contain circuit boards, motors, wiring, leftover ink or toner and plastics that shouldn't go to a landfill or incinerator. A growing number of states ban electronics from household trash. In New York, for example, it has been illegal since January 2015 to throw out "covered electronic equipment," which includes printers, scanners and fax machines intended for use with a computer and weighing under 100 pounds. Your town's sanitation crew can refuse the bag, and in some areas you can be fined.

Even where it's legal, trashing a printer throws away recoverable steel, aluminum and copper. It can also leave your scan-to-email contacts, Wi-Fi password and stored documents inside a machine anyone can pick up.

What Should I Do Before I Get Rid of a Printer?

1. Take out the ink or toner. Recycle cartridges separately (most electronics recyclers don't want them loose inside the machine). If your new printer takes the same cartridge, keep them. A half-used HP 902XL still has plenty of pages left.
2. Save anything you need. Print or write down fax speed-dials, scan-to-email or scan-to-folder destinations you want to recreate on the new printer.
3. Wipe the memory. Printers store more than you'd think: your Wi-Fi network name and password, email addresses, fax logs and, on many office machines, stored print and scan jobs. See the wiping section below.
4. Factory reset it. Use the printer's menu to restore factory defaults, then remove it from the HP Smart app, Epson Connect, Canon PRINT or Brother Mobile Connect and from any subscription such as HP Instant Ink. (Cancelling Instant Ink? See how to cancel HP Instant Ink first, because the cartridges stop working afterward.)
5. Pack it so it doesn't leak. Close and tape the lid and trays. Ink tank printers such as EcoTank and MegaTank models should be drained or bagged, because tipping them spills ink. Keep laser printers level so loose toner doesn't pour out.

How Do I Wipe the Data on a Printer?

For a typical home inkjet or small laser, a factory reset clears the network settings, contacts and logs. Step-by-step guides by brand:

• How to reset an HP printer
• How to reset a Canon printer
• How to reset an Epson printer
• Brother: Menu > Initial Setup > Reset > Factory Reset (or All Settings). Some models also offer "Network" and "Address & Fax" resets separately.

If the reset asks for an administrator password you don't know, our guide to default printer passwords shows where each brand prints it.

Office multifunction printers and copiers are different. Many have a built-in hard drive or solid-state storage holding images of documents they copied, scanned, faxed or printed. The U.S. EPA's guidance on electronics at end of life lists printers, copiers, scanners, fax machines and multifunction devices as equipment that may contain data that needs sanitizing. Use the machine's built-in "secure erase" or "disk overwrite" function, ask your dealer or leasing company to wipe or remove the drive, or use a certified recycler that provides a certificate of data destruction. If you lease, check your contract before returning it.

Where Can I Recycle a Printer for Free?

Best Buy

Best Buy lists printers, scanners and fax machines among the items it recycles free at its U.S. stores, regardless of where you bought them. The computing-and-office category is limited to three items per household per day, and the program is for residential customers, not businesses. Ink and toner cartridges are accepted free too, usually at the kiosk inside the front door. Details on the cartridge side: our Best Buy ink cartridge recycling guide.

Goodwill (Dell Reconnect)

Dell Reconnect, a partnership between Dell and Goodwill, accepts any brand of computer equipment in any condition, including printers, free at participating Goodwill donation centers. Working equipment may be resold to fund Goodwill's job programs; the rest is recycled. Use Dell's locator to find a participating store, since not every Goodwill takes electronics.

Your town, city or county

Most municipalities run free electronics drop-off at a transfer station or hold e-waste collection days a few times a year. Search your town's website for "e-waste" or "electronics recycling." It's the easiest choice when you have several items at once, like a printer, old monitor and a box of cables.

Staples

Staples long accepted printers free at most U.S. stores. As of October 2026, though, Staples' own recycling page says its tech recycling program has been temporarily suspended, so call your local store before you drive over. Staples still takes empty ink and toner cartridges; see our Staples ink and toner recycling guide.

Manufacturer take-back and trade-in programs

HP, Epson, Brother and Canon all run cartridge-return programs, and they periodically offer printer trade-ins or take-back with a new purchase. HP's Planet Partners hardware recycling in the U.S. is aimed at businesses (free pickup starts at large volumes, and it takes HP-branded equipment only). If you're buying a new printer anyway, check the manufacturer's site for a current trade-in offer before recycling the old one.

Certified electronics recyclers

The EPA encourages using recyclers certified to the R2 or e-Stewards standards. Both are audited by independent third parties and require proper data destruction. Some charge a small fee for printers, but they're the right choice for businesses, schools and anyone disposing of copiers or multifunction printers with hard drives.

Can I Donate or Sell a Printer That Still Works?

Yes, and it's the greenest option. Schools, churches, community centers, senior centers and charities often welcome a working printer, especially a laser. Local Buy Nothing groups, Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist move printers quickly, usually with "free" in the title. A few tips:

• Factory reset first (see above).
• Include the power cord, USB cable and any spare cartridges.
• Be honest about problems: streaks, error codes, a full waste-ink pad.
• Print a test page so the next owner can see the quality. Our free printable test page works for this.

Thrift stores generally won't take printers unless the store participates in an electronics program, so ask first.

Is It Worth Fixing My Old Printer Instead?

Sometimes. Before you recycle, check whether the "broken" printer just needs a simple fix:

• It won't turn on: try the steps in printer won't turn on.
• Streaks, faded or blank pages: often a clogged printhead or an empty cartridge. See how to clean printer heads.
• "Cartridge not recognized": usually fixable. See ink cartridge not recognized.
• Epson "service required": the waste-ink pad is full. That can be worth fixing on an expensive EcoTank; see Epson service required.
• Laser printer with fading or smudges: often just a worn drum unit, not the printer. See drum unit vs toner cartridge.

A good rule of thumb: if a repair costs more than about half the price of a comparable new printer, or the printer is more than 7–8 years old and its cartridges are getting hard to find, replace it.

What Happens to a Printer When It's Recycled?

At a certified recycler, printers are logged, storage is wiped or shredded, and workers remove toner, ink and any batteries by hand. The rest is shredded and sorted into steel, aluminum, copper, circuit boards and plastics, which are sold to manufacturers as raw material. That's the whole point of recycling instead of dumping: the metals come back, and hazardous bits are handled properly.

What Should I Do With the Ink and Toner Cartridges?

Cartridges have their own, easier recycling path. Empty inkjet cartridges can be refilled and remanufactured, which is exactly how remanufactured cartridges, like most of the ink Castle Ink sells, are made. Your options:

• Drop-off: Best Buy, Staples and Office Depot/OfficeMax take empties. See where to recycle ink cartridges near you.
• Get paid: some programs pay cash or rewards for certain empties. See how and where to recycle ink cartridges.
• Toner: laser cartridges need a little more care. See how to dispose of toner cartridges the right way.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Best Buy take old printers?

Yes. Best Buy recycles printers, scanners and fax machines free at U.S. stores, any brand, with a limit of three computing items per household per day.

Does Goodwill take printers?

Participating Goodwill locations accept printers of any brand, working or not, through the Dell Reconnect program. Call ahead, since not every store participates.

Does Staples still recycle printers?

Staples' recycling page currently says its in-store tech recycling program is temporarily suspended. Call your local store to confirm. Cartridge recycling continues.

Do I need to remove the ink before recycling a printer?

Yes, remove cartridges and recycle them separately. Drain or bag ink tank printers so they don't leak in transit.

Is there personal data on a home printer?

Usually your Wi-Fi password, network details, and any saved email or fax contacts. A factory reset clears them. Office copiers and multifunction printers may also store document images on a hard drive, which needs a secure wipe.

Will someone pick up my old printer?

Some towns offer bulk or e-waste curbside pickup by appointment. Businesses can schedule pickups from certified recyclers.

Ready for a Replacement?

If you're replacing your printer, choose one with affordable ink this time. Our PrinterIQ Finder is a 60-second quiz that helps you find a printer, and our printer buying guide links honest reviews of dozens of models. Check the worst printers of 2026 before you buy, and remember your new printer will come with short-fill setup cartridges. When they run low, find replacements on our Find Ink by Printer page.

Sources

• Best Buy: Electronics and appliance recycling
• Dell: Dell Reconnect with Goodwill
• Staples: Tech recycling update
• HP: Hardware recycling (Planet Partners)
• U.S. EPA: Certified electronics recyclers
• U.S. EPA: Media sanitization considerations for electronics at end-of-life (PDF)
• Town of Huntington, NY: E-waste and New York's disposal ban