Used ink cartridges placed in a recycling box
Artículo · Printing Blog | Startoner

Where to Recycle Ink and Toner Cartridges in Spain

Actualizado 18 julio 2026

Millions of cartridges are thrown away in Spain every year. A cartridge takes hundreds of years to break down and contains plastics, metals and ink or toner residue that shouldn't end up in landfill. The good news: recycling them is free, quick and there are collection points almost anywhere.

Key points

  • Empty cartridges don't go in the bin: they've been waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) since Royal Decree 110/2015.
  • You can recycle them free at recycling centres, Tragatóner containers and manufacturer programmes. Nobody should charge you.
  • In the EU, in 2023 only 37.5% of WEEE was collected and recycled, well short of the 65% target (Eurostat, 2024).
  • Choosing remanufactured compatibles closes the loop: the same shell is reused several times.

An empty cartridge isn't rubbish: it's raw material. The shell can be cleaned, refilled and reused — that's remanufacturing — or dismantled to recover plastics and metals. This guide tells you where to take yours, how to prepare them and why the compatible is, on top of that, the most sustainable option.

Why aren't cartridges thrown in the bin?

Because legally they're a hazardous waste classed as WEEE and their collection is mandatory. A printer cartridge is, in many cases, waste electrical and electronic equipment subject to separate collection: its materials are recoverable and its ink or toner residue can contaminate soil and water if it ends up in a common landfill.

Since 15 August 2018, Royal Decree 110/2015 extended its scope to printer consumables, and recycling them became mandatory in Spain (Channel Partner, 2018). The crossed-out bin symbol printed on many cartridges itself indicates that the consumer is also responsible for returning them to an authorised point.

Royal Decree 110/2015 regulates waste electrical and electronic equipment in Spain. It transposes the European Directive 2012/19/EU (WEEE Directive), which requires member states to collect, recover and prepare for reuse this waste separately from common rubbish.

The problem is one of scale. According to the Global E-waste Monitor 2024, in 2022 the world generated 62 million tonnes of electronic waste and only 22.3% of recycling was documented; Europe leads with 42.8%, but is still far from ideal (UNITAR, 2024). Every cartridge you take to the right point is a grain of sand that counts.

Where to recycle ink and toner cartridges in Spain?

You have four routes, all free: municipal recycling centres, Recyclia's Tragatinta/Tragatóner containers, many computer shops and stationers, and the take-back programmes run by the manufacturers themselves. The network is dense: Recyclia alone manages more than 42,000 collection points spread across superstores, offices and public buildings (Recyclia, 2018).

Collection point How it works
Municipal recycling centres Every municipality has at least one. They accept ink and toner cartridges free of charge. Check opening hours and location on your council's website.
Tragatinta and Tragatóner (Recyclia) Network of specific containers in superstores, shopping centres, offices and public buildings. Its website has a postcode search to find the nearest point.
Computer shops and stationers Many shops that sell printers and cartridges have a collection bin on their premises.
Manufacturer programmes HP, Canon, Brother and others offer prepaid envelopes or return points for their consumables.

Just one year after starting, Recyclia's Tragatóner/Tragatinta network had collected more than 300,000 kilos of printer cartridges through its 22,500 containers: 163,458 kg of toner and 3,260 kg of ink, among other materials (Recyclia / Ciencias Ambientales, 2019).

Does recycling cartridges cost money?

No, never. Collection is a free service both at municipal recycling centres and at the containers in superstores and in manufacturer programmes. If someone asks you for money to accept your empty cartridges, it isn't a legitimate recycling point and you should look for another option.

How do the manufacturer programmes work?

Manufacturers offer their own reverse logistics, almost always with prepaid shipping. The HP Planet Partners programme, for example, is available in more than 50 countries, gives you free shipping labels or envelopes and then sorts, dismantles or shreds the cartridge to reincorporate the material into new products (HP Spain, 2025). Bear in mind one caveat: each programme usually only accepts its own brands, so don't mix manufacturers in the same envelope.

How to prepare cartridges before taking them?

Very little: they're recycled as they are, without emptying or dismantling them. The only important thing is to prevent them staining during transport, especially toner, which is a very fine, volatile powder. A couple of minutes of preparation is enough to reach the collection point without ruining the boot of the car.

  • Don't empty or dismantle them. They're recycled whole, with their ink or toner residue.
  • Keep them in a bag to prevent staining, especially toner.
  • If you keep the box or original packaging, all the better: it protects the cartridge during transport.
  • Don't mix them with common rubbish "just in case": take them whole to the collection point.

If you also want your cartridges to last longer and generate less waste in the first place, our guide on how to extend the life of your toner and ink cartridges will help.

What's the difference between recycling, remanufacturing and buying compatibles?

They're three different things, and the hierarchy matters. Recycling is recovering the materials of a cartridge at the end of its life. Remanufacturing is more valuable: an empty original shell is taken, cleaned, its wear parts replaced, refilled and returned to the market as a functional product. It's real circular economy: the same cartridge body lives several times before becoming material.

At Star Toner we print and test our own compatibles before selling them, and we see that part of the work up close. A well-remanufactured shell, with new wear parts and approved toner, yields the same as a new one on the test pages we run. The real difference isn't in print quality, but in how many single-use new cartridges you save yourself per year. We tell it plainly in original vs compatible toner: we print it side by side.

That's why choosing certified compatible and remanufactured cartridges isn't just cheaper: it extends the useful life of each shell and reduces waste compared with always buying new cartridges. You can view the compatible laser toner catalogue or the compatible ink cartridges to get an idea. And if quality worries you, it's worth telling a serious compatible apart from a counterfeit: we explain it in counterfeit cartridges vs compatibles.

Is buying compatibles really greener?

Yes, and for two reasons that add up. First, remanufacturing reuses a shell that would otherwise be waste. Second, it avoids making a new cartridge from scratch, with its virgin plastic and its transport footprint. Given that in the EU only 37.5% of WEEE was recycled in 2023 (Eurostat, 2024), reducing waste at source weighs as much as recycling it well.

And what if I'm worried about the guarantee or the quality of the compatible?

It's the most common concern, and it's legitimate. A certified compatible doesn't void your printer's warranty nor need cause you problems: in Spain you're covered by the legal guarantee, not by the printer manufacturer's. We develop this in legal guarantee for compatible cartridges in Spain. If you're unsure which model you need, this other guide helps you know which toner your printer needs before buying.

Combining the two ideas — recycling what you already have empty and buying remanufactured compatibles — is what really reduces waste and spending across the year. One feeds the other.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I recycle empty ink and toner cartridges?

At municipal recycling centres (at least one per municipality), in the Tragatinta and Tragatóner containers — Recyclia manages more than 42,000 points across Spain —, at many computer shops and stationers, and via the manufacturers' take-back programmes. All these options are free.

Can I throw an empty cartridge in the normal bin?

No. Since Royal Decree 110/2015, a printer cartridge is waste subject to separate collection: its materials are recoverable and its residue can contaminate. In 2023 the EU only collected 37.5% of its WEEE, so every properly deposited cartridge counts. It must go to a recycling centre or a specific container.

Does recycling cartridges cost money?

No. Recycling cartridges is a free service, both at municipal recycling centres and at the containers in superstores and in manufacturer programmes with prepaid shipping. If someone charges you to accept them, it isn't a legitimate recycling point.

Do I have to empty or clean the cartridge before recycling it?

No. Cartridges are recycled as they are, with their ink or toner residue. It's just worth keeping them in a bag so they don't stain during transport, especially toner, which is a very fine powder. Don't dismantle them: they're recycled whole.

What's the difference between recycling and remanufacturing a cartridge?

Recycling is recovering the materials of a cartridge at the end of its life. Remanufacturing is taking an empty original shell, cleaning it, replacing the wear parts and refilling it to return it to the market functional. Remanufacturing extends the life of the cartridge and generates less waste than making a new one.

Are compatible cartridges greener?

Yes. Certified compatibles and remanufactured cartridges make use of shells that would otherwise be waste and reduce the manufacture of single-use new cartridges. With only 37.5% of WEEE recycled in the EU in 2023, reducing waste at source matters as much as recycling well.

Keep reading

Sources

  • Eurostat — Waste statistics: electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) — https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Waste_statistics_-_electrical_and_electronic_equipment
  • UNITAR / ITU — Global E-waste Monitor 2024 — https://unitar.org/about/news-stories/press/global-e-waste-monitor-2024-electronic-waste-rising-five-times-faster-documented-e-waste-recycling
  • Channel Partner — Sí, es obligatorio reciclar los cartuchos de tóner y tinta — https://www.channelpartner.es/fabricantes/si-es-obligatorio-reciclar-los-cartuchos-de-toner-y-tinta-de-las-impresoras/
  • Recyclia — Recyclia despliega 42.000 puntos de recogida de tóner en España — https://www.recyclia.es/recyclia-despliega-42-000-puntos-de-recogida-de-toner-en-espana/
  • Ciencias Ambientales — Recyclia (Tragatóner/Tragatinta) recoge 300.000 kilos de cartuchos — https://www.cienciasambientales.com/es/noticias-ambientales/recyclia-tragatoner-tragatinta-recoge-300-000-kilos-cartuchos-impresion-22-500-contenedores-espana-18293
  • HP Spain — Reciclaje de cartuchos de tinta y tóner HP (Planet Partners) — https://www.hp.com/es-es/hp-information/recycling/ink-toner.html
  • MITECO — Preguntas frecuentes sobre RAEE (Real Decreto 110/2015) — https://www.miteco.gob.es/content/dam/miteco/es/calidad-y-evaluacion-ambiental/temas/prevencion-y-gestion-residuos/faqsraeev5_tcm30-430277.pdf

Last updated: July 2026. Star Toner — certified compatible consumables for Spain and the EU.

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