Not everyone knows where to correctly throw away the printer cartridges and toners they have at home. But these doubts can sometimes give rise to gross errors, which can also cost heavy fines for those who make a mistake in the provision. The wisest way to avoid making mistakes is to rely on the suggestions provided by your municipality of residence regarding special waste.
A doubt that often assails those who carry out proper waste separation is where to throw printer cartridges and the used toners we have at home. In fact, if these devices have long gone hand in hand with our computers, we do not always know how the waste is collected. And, be careful, making mistakes can cost us heavy fines.
In fact, cartridges are considered special waste, which means that they must be treated differently than ordinary garbage. The general waste bin is not the best place to throw them in, but neither are the other cousins, as toners are multi-material and cannot be confused with wet, glass, cans and plastic.
The reference law for special waste is Legislative Decree 152 of 2006, which deals with the treatment of special waste, giving the definition of dangerous and non-hazardous waste. As a rule, cartridges for home printers belong to the second category. But they must in any case have a specific contribution.
If we dispose of special waste incorrectly, the fines vary depending on whether it is dangerous waste or not and for toners, in the best case, an administrative fine of up to 15 thousand euros can be achieved. On the contrary, for dangerous ones, the fines can reach close to 100 thousand euros, with possible criminal implications.
Where to throw away printer cartridges
We have mentioned it, but we remember it for safety: the traditional bins we have at home are not suitable for disposing of cartridges. No, even the black waste bag is not suitable for disposal. Toners are in fact considered waste like WEEE and must be taken to the recycling centers in your municipality.
The website of the place where we live will be able to provide us with the information needed for correct disposal, with also the times for delivering the waste to the reference island. But there are also different alternatives for recycling printer cartridges, which can perhaps avoid annoying trips.
Usually the big brands of toner and peripherals have special programs for recycle cartridgesallowing customers to deliver them to their locations. Sometimes companies also give vouchers in exchange for the purchase of new items of the same brand, making this type of delivery convenient.
But there are also local companies that provide the same type of service, even if they are not connected to brands and do not offer discounts for new cartridges. In this case, however, we often have the possibility of also taking computer cables and other WEEE materials to the office, which will take care of disposing of them in accordance with the law.
Finally, if we don’t know where to throw home printer cartridges, we can ask for information at stationery shops and electronic equipment shops. Sometimes our trusted shopkeeper is also a valid ally in our separate waste collection. If he offers this service, we can give him the waste and let him dispose of it correctly.
However, the situation changes for the toners of the professional printers that we find in the office, given that in this case it is the companies that have sold or rented the devices that also take care of the recycling of the cartridges. They are returned to the operators, who will take care of disposal and replacement.
In any case, to limit this type of waste, we prefer refillable cartridges to disposable ones.
Sources
Source: www.greenstyle.it
