Tips on Recycling Office Machines

Technology advancements often leave behind outdated electronics. In the European Union, approximately 75 percent of e-waste is not recycled. In the U.S., nearly 80 percent of electronics are thrown away. These practices crowd landfills and allow hazardous materials to seep into the ground.

Before you make the decision to toss your old printer, fax machine, scanner or copier, see if local nonprofit organizations may be able to reuse what you no longer need. If that’s no an option, try contacting the manufacturer to see what can be sent back for recycling. Major companies such as Apple, Dell, IBM, Gateway, Epson, Lexmark and Hewelett Packard will take back their products and sometimes those of other manufacturers.

Here are some interesting facts about various companies’ e-waste efforts:

• For a small fee, HP will pick up your old equipment from your office or home.
• In the Konica Minolta copier Sitios, 92 percent of the 500 parts are reused or recycled.
• Xerox has the Green World Alliance, a recycling program in which printer cartridges are reprocessed, waste toner is reused, metals and plastics used to manufacturer equipment are recovered and much of the waste produced is turned into energy.