You can drop off the machine at your local Staples store, or call to have it picked up. For a while now, the Staples (Opens in a new window)office-supply chain has been recycling printers and other hardware-no matter where you bought the item-for free. In addition, several electronics and office-supply store chains offer recycle programs. (In my small community, for example, an organization that specializes in resources for special-needs children comes around in a big truck in which it will haul off just about anything.)
If all you want to do is get rid of it with as little fuss as possible, a quick web search will bring up local and national organizations that will pick it up for free or for a small fee. If the machine works, however, or if it's too big and heavy for you to load and transport, there are plenty of other options. This method, rather than throwing it in the trash (or even the recycle bin), usually ensures that it gets dismantled and all the various materials-plastics, metals (including difficult-to-deal-with ones, such as lead), circuit boards-inside and out get separated and recycled properly, or broken down and put back into service responsibly. The most obvious way to get rid of a defunct printer, though, is to throw it in the trunk of your car and drive it to the local recycle center. VVA is one of the primary groups working to make sure that Vietnam vets get support they need. If you have a working single-function or all-in-one machine that you just want to get rid of, a quick visit to (Opens in a new window), a site that takes donations for Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), should help. Used printers are much more valuable to worthy causes, of course, if they still work. If you search around the Internet, you'll undoubtedly find other possible destinations. For details, go to eBay's eBay for Charity page (Opens in a new window). If you don't mind doing a little footwork to get your no-longer-needed printer into needy hands, the auction giant eBay will help you sell it and then contribute 10 percent to 100 percent of the proceeds to an organization of your choice. To participate, simply drop off your used printer at one of Goodwill's more than 3,000 stores or drop-off locations.ĮBay Giving Works. In 2004, Goodwill (Opens in a new window)joined forces with Dell to recycle or refurbish most types of office and IT equipment, including printers. One possible recipient, the White Oak Computer Lab at the White Oak Elementary School, was looking for 10 printers meeting the criteria shown in the image below…Į-Stewards makes finding a recycler in your area easy.ĭell Reconnect. When I did a search of a 50-mile radius in my neck of the woods in Southern California, the Cristina search engine returned 21 possible recipients for used printers in my area. This online site helps facilitate the connection between a donor contributing equipment and a prescreened recipient organization (such as, say, Xerox, which is one of the foundation’s many members). The National Cristina Foundation (Opens in a new window) does not physically receive, service, or place donated equipment.
WCE has drop-off locations in several major US cities, territories, and regions, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Puerto Rico, Silicon Valley, and Washington D.C./Baltimore, as well as Ottawa (Canada) and Monrovia (Liberia). With chapters of hundreds of volunteers in the USA, Australia, Canada, and Puerto Rico, the WCE has shipped equipment to computer labs serving just under 5 million youths in 51 developing countries. Among many other services designed to “reduce the digital divide for youth in developing countries,” the World Computer Exchange (Opens in a new window)(WCE) distributes used and refurbished computers and peripherals. Here are some examples of the many programs available. Whether your printer is still working or totally done for, plenty of organizations, including Goodwill and The Salvation Army, will accept and recycle your goods.
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