When most people see an old office printer sitting in a break room or a storage closet, they probably assume it has some decent recycling value. After all, these machines are big, sometimes heavy, and feel substantial. Surely all that bulk translates to real scrap value at the recycling facility, right? Unfortunately, the reality is a lot more frustrating than that, and understanding why is the first step toward fixing a problem that’s quietly making the e-waste crisis worse.
The Size Doesn’t Mean the Money
Here is the hard truth that surprises a lot of people: printers have essentially zero scrap value. Printers and copiers are mostly plastic and have zero scrap or recycling value. Beyond Surplus That is not a typo. Because there is so much plastic in the units, it simply isn’t worth it for scrap yards to pay you for them. iScrap App
To put a number on it, the latest scrap price for printer and fax material in the United States is approximately $0.03 per pound. ScrapMonster A standard office laser printer weighs somewhere between 15 and 30 pounds. That means the entire machine might yield somewhere around $0.45 to $0.90 in raw scrap value, which doesn’t come close to covering the labor and processing costs involved in responsibly recycling it.
Because of this, many recyclers actually charge a fee to take printers off your hands rather than offering any payment. Residential customers dropping off a printer at a recycling warehouse can expect to pay starting at $20 per printer, and commercial customers having printers picked up can expect fees around $40 per printer. Beyond Surplus That fee structure exists not because recyclers are trying to take advantage of you, but because the cost to process these machines responsibly exceeds what the recovered materials are worth.
This creates a real problem. When disposal costs money rather than generating revenue, a lot of businesses and individuals are tempted to find shortcuts, and printers end up in dumpsters or standard trash rather than certified e-waste facilities.
What Is Actually Inside a Printer That Can Be Recycled?
Despite the low market value, printers do contain recyclable components, and keeping them out of landfills absolutely matters from an environmental standpoint. Common recyclable materials include plastic housings, often made from ABS and polycarbonate, which are shredded and reprocessed for new manufacturing, as well as metal parts including steel frames, aluminum casings, and copper wiring. GreenCitizen
Other recyclable printer components include circuit boards, motors, rollers, and various electronic parts, many of which contain small amounts of precious metals that can be recovered and reused in future products. Interco
The recycling process itself is more involved than most people realize. After an initial assessment, skilled technicians manually disassemble printers into core components. Larger parts are then processed through industrial shredders and granulators, and advanced equipment like eddy current separators and magnetic belts are used to isolate metals, plastics, and hazardous elements. GreenCitizen
Components containing ink, toner, lead, mercury, or brominated flame retardants are routed to specialized facilities for safe handling under hazardous waste regulations. GreenCitizen This is not a casual or cheap process. It requires certified infrastructure and trained staff, which is exactly why the economics of printer recycling are so difficult.
The Scale of the Problem
The printer e-waste situation is not a minor issue. Millions of printers are thrown away every year, contributing to the 53 million tons of e-waste generated globally. GreenCitizen Only about 15 to 20 percent of e-waste from printers and scanners is recycled globally. Scoop Market
The cartridge problem is just as alarming. Over 375 million empty ink and toner cartridges are discarded annually, ending up in landfills where they can take up to 1,000 years to decompose. TROY Group It is estimated that 70 percent of printer cartridges end up in landfills. Planet Green Recycle
None of this waste is harmless. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has stated that printers, along with other end-of-life electronics, account for the majority of mercury in landfills, and these toxic compounds leach into soil and water as the device decomposes, with real health implications for surrounding communities (EPA). Cohen RecyclingIn fact, 25 states have made it illegal to dispose of electronics such as printers in landfills, and businesses face significant fines for illegal dumping (Interco). Interco
The Toner Trap: Why Cheap Printers Create More E-Waste
One of the most overlooked drivers of printer waste is the toner pricing model. Many businesses and households find themselves in a cycle that actually generates more printers in the waste stream, not fewer, and it starts with a business strategy the industry has quietly relied on for decades.
Printer manufacturers often follow a strategy called the “razor-and-blade model,” where printers are sold at low prices, sometimes even at a loss, because the real profits come from toner sales (Applied Innovation). Applied InnovationThe printer is essentially bait. The toner is where the money is made back, with interest.
Original toner cartridges often range from $50 to $150 upfront (Toner Buzz). Toner Buzz For a small business, this means the toner can cost more than the printer itself within just a few replacement cycles. Back in 2013, Consumer Reports determined the ink inside inkjet cartridges cost between $13 and $75 per ounce, making it more expensive than some of the world’s finest perfumes (Toner Buzz). Toner Buzz
Why is toner priced this way? Manufacturers charge a premium for their proprietary toner cartridges in order to recoup their investment in designing and engineering the printer itself. And the longer a printer model is in production, the more likely third-party toner companies are able to undercut the OEM price, which actually incentivizes manufacturers to phase out the model and introduce a new printer (Applied Innovation). Applied Innovation
Practices like “chip-locking” also prevent the use of third-party or refilled cartridges once the original signals it is “empty,” even if residual toner remains, ensuring recurring revenue for manufacturers. Regulatory bodies like the FTC have scrutinized these practices for potentially anti-competitive behavior (TonerConnect). Tonerconnect
The result is predictable. When a new printer costs $79 at a big box store and a single replacement toner costs $60 to $120, a lot of people do the math and just buy a new printer instead of replacing the cartridge. The old printer, toner still partially full, goes in the trash. This cycle repeats constantly across homes and businesses in Salt Lake, Davis, Weber, and Utah counties, and across the country.
What Recycle IT Utah Does With Your Printers
At Recycle IT Utah, we accept printers and electronics from businesses throughout Salt Lake, Davis, Weber, and Utah counties. We process devices through certified methods including physical hard drive destruction following NIST 800-88 and R2v3 Appendix B standards, ensuring your data doesn’t end up anywhere it shouldn’t. Even though printers carry little scrap value, keeping them out of landfills remains the right call for your business and for the communities we all share.
The Fix Has to Start With Toner Prices
The most meaningful change that could reduce printer e-waste is not better recycling infrastructure, though that helps. It’s making toner affordable enough that people stop treating a printer as disposable the moment it runs out.
Subscription-based toner services, third-party cartridge access, and regulatory pressure on chip-locking practices are all steps in the right direction. Businesses should advocate for transparent pricing reform in the printer supply industry. When it becomes genuinely cheaper to refill a cartridge than to buy a new machine, millions of printers that currently end up in landfills each year will stay in service instead.
Until that day comes, responsible recycling is the best option available. Schedule your free business pickup with Recycle IT Utah and keep those printers out of Utah’s landfills.
References
Applied Innovation. (2023, August 17). Why is printer toner so expensive?https://www.appliedinnovation.com/imaging-services/toner_expensive/
Applied Innovation. (2025, April 1). Why is toner so expensive? And why it’s still worth it.https://www.appliedinnovation.com/imaging-services/why-is-toner-so-expensive-and-why-its-still-worth-it/
Beyond Surplus. (2025, October 16). Printer, copier & fax recycling. https://www.beyondsurplus.com/printer-copier-fax-machine-recycling-disposal-services/
Cohen Recycling. (2023, May 25). Printer recycling. https://www.cohenusa.com/recyclable-items/printers/
GreenCitizen. (2026, February 5). Printer recycling: Why, how, and where to recycle printers.https://greencitizen.com/blog/printer-recycling/
Interco. (2023, November 18). Interco recycles printers. https://intercotradingco.com/recycle-printers/
iScrap App. (2026, April 3). Current printers/fax machines scrap price. https://iscrapapp.com/metals/printersfax-machines/
Planet Green Recycle. (2023, July 31). The environmental impact of printer cartridges: A call for responsible recycling.https://www.planetgreenrecycle.com/blogs/news/the-environmental-impact-of-printer-cartridges-a-call-for-responsible-recycling
Planet Green Recycle. (2024, August 5). The hidden environmental impact of inkjet cartridges and how to address it.https://www.planetgreenrecycle.com/blogs/news/the-hidden-environmental-impact-of-inkjet-cartridges-and-how-to-address-it
ScrapMonster. Printer/fax scrap price $US/lb in United States. https://www.scrapmonster.com/scrap-prices/north-american-electronics-scrap/printerfax-scraps/340/1/1
Scoop Market. (2026, January 12). E-waste statistics and facts (2026). https://scoop.market.us/e-waste-statistics/
TonerConnect. (2025, October 20). Why are toners so expensive? https://tonerconnect.net/blog/why-are-toners-so-expensive
Toner Buzz. (2025, June 30). Printer toner cost: What to know before you buy. https://www.tonerbuzz.com/blog/toner-cost/
Toner Buzz. (2024, July 2). Why is printer ink so expensive? https://www.tonerbuzz.com/blog/why-is-printer-ink-so-expensive/
Troy Group. (2024, June 7). Stop e-waste: HP Planet Partners leading the way in printer recycling.https://www.troygroup.com/blog/stop-e-waste-hp-planet-partners-leading-the-way-in-printer-recycling
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Cleaning up electronic waste (e-waste). https://www.epa.gov/international-cooperation/cleaning-electronic-waste-e-waste