Bizkaiko Foru Aldundia - Diputación Foral de Bizkaia

The use of faxes, photocopiers and printers generates a new type of waste: the toner cartridge.
It is a hard plastic shell made of a series of mechanisms: pinions, a photosensitive drum, etc.

¿What do I achieve by recycling the toner cartridge?

• A significant energy saving: twenty litres of pure petroleum are required to manufacture a new shell.
• I reduce pollution.
• I send less waste to the controlled tip

¿How is a toner cartridge recycled?

Once the waste has been collected at the Garbigune, it is sent to a company where it is taken apart, cleaned and the toner residues are removed. If the shell is in a good condition, it simply is refilled.

Otherwise, it is sent to a management service, where the condition of the remaining components is checked, and then the toner is either refilled or replaced with another toner similar to the original one, and the cartridge is reassembled.

Apart from the toner reservoir, some cartridges, have a photoconductive drum. This is a metal piece containing no polluting substances, and therefore its separation is purely mechanic. It can be recycled, or alternatively, the piece can be replaced.