Where does it go?

Cartridges are individually checked to see if they are suitable for remanufacturing. All intact OEM cartridges, such as HP, Brother and Canon can be remanufactured to be used a second time. However, broken cartridges have to be thrown away.

Cartridges that have already been remanufactured can in some cases be used again or broken down for parts. Photocopier toner refill bottles have to be thrown away.
OEM cartridges are sold to re-manufacturers in the UK and Europe. These companies refurbish the cartridges, refill them with toner and sell them to end-users as 'compatibles'. These cartridges, as well as being very environmentally friendly, are generally significantly cheaper than OEM’s.

Most manufacturers, including HP, run cartridge recycling programmes. However, customers should be aware that these cartridges are simply crushed before the plastic and metal are recycled. One of the main motivations for these programmes is to stop the remanufacture of cartridges, which, despite being a far better environmental option, competes with the sale of more new cartridges.