How to Dispose of a Printer with Clearabee

Everyone has had a frustrating experience with a printer, they’re one of the more temperamental pieces of tech we find in our homes and offices. whether you’ve got the wrong drivers, need an update, something is jammed or your toner is low, sometimes it feels you need the stars to align just to print off a single piece of A4. Even so, many of us can’t work without them and they’re a regular addition to home offices.

This has especially been the case over the last year. There has been a documented increase in sales of printers, The Wire discussed how an increase in home workers has pushed up the demand for printers. You yourself may be in a position where you need to purchase a new printer as your old one just isn’t cutting the mustard anymore. Maybe you’re upgrading to a top of the range printer that can scan, laminate, send/receive fax, accurately prints colours, prints different paper sizes and photos, features USB/SD slots, has a touch screen menu, can print photos and is WI-FI enabled – the list goes on.

But do you know how to dispose of a printer? What if you’re not upgrading but have a broken printer lying around that needs getting rid of?

Printer Disposal Solutions

Due to their potential size and the fact that they are categorised as electrical waste (WEEE), printers can be difficult to get rid of on your own. A Clearabee ‘Man and Van’ collection can take away a range of different types of rubbish, from wooden cabinets to WEEE waste like TVs, fridges and printers.

Our collection capacities start at one cubic yard of waste which is a lot bigger than a single printer. But if you book this service this means you can have other items you need to get rid of taken away too. Your printer breaking may lead you to have a big clean out of your home office. This may create waste in the form of hard folders, packaging, broken tech and maybe a cabinet that’s looking worse for wear. By doing this you can easily get your money’s worth from a 1 cubic yard collection.

Another scenario may be at a head office. Printers in commercial offices tend to be a lot larger, heavier and more expensive to get rid of. Once they come to the end of their use, they often find their way into an old store cupboard where they clog up space and start to gather dust. A Clearabee collection also includes reasonable labour so we will gladly lift and carry heavy items like office printers to our van to be taken away.

What to do With Old Printers UK

As we’ve discussed, printers are temperamental and prone to malfunctions. ID Products claim that printers on average tend to last for 3-5 years. For something that can be quite expensive, this isn’t a particularly impressive lifespan. HP gives some advice on their website for prolonging the life of your printer. They advise that tackling paper jams improperly can damage your printer. If a jam occurs you should refer to your printer’s manual but typically you can slowly pull out the paper with two hands and ensure that no small pieces tear off and are left in the jam.

It’s important to use a trustworthy waste carrier like Clearabee when you need to get rid of electrical items like printers. This is as they may contain harmful chemicals and substances that can damage the environment and the health of individuals. We only use vetted waste centres and are able to recycle 95% of the waste we collect.

If your printer is still functional and you’re looking to get rid of it for different reasons you could look into donating it to charity. There are plenty of charities in the UK who can find a good cause to put your old printer to use. They are often sent to education centres and schools that are in need of more printers/tech.

Have your rubbish removed with Clearabee

At Clearabee we are able to provide a range of different types of rubbish removal services, from ‘Man & Van’ Services to Skip Hire. You can checkout with your desired service in a matter of minutes on our site and our collection can be at your door on a same-day basis.