Last night I bought a new printer. My old little Epson inkjet had become crotchety, and it needed replacing. Of course, this lead to the question, what do I do with the old printer? Ideally, I’d like to try and find it a new home, but if the hand-me-down idea fails I’ll recycle it. Many printers just get tossed, which adds to the piles of outdated technology currently leaching chemicals into the ground below our nation’s landfills. Some printers do get removed by cities on special pick-up days, and though this option gives the printers a better chance of avoiding a landfill fate, there’s no guarantee that cities short on time and budget will manage the printers correctly.

In my search for a better option, I came across Computer Recycling USA. They say they’ll take any computer, printer, cell phone, laptop, mouse, keyboard, and other miscellaneous technology items and recycle them properly. They accept these items from both homes and businesses. But there’s a catch: you have to PAY for it. A fee for printer recycling is to be expected, but Computer Recycling USA charges $20, PLUS SHIPPING. The fee seems high, and it’s annoying to have to pay for shipping.

Thankfully for me, Epson offers a printer recycling program with a fee of ten bucks, and they will mail me a pre-paid FedEx label. Okay, sounds good. So why is Computer Recycling USA more pricey? Well, they do handle recycling needs of all kinds, including some non-traditional electronics used by businesses. And they offer an environmental guarantee:

Computer Recycling USA guarantees we will act in the most environmentally responsible manner and with the highest level of sensitivity to our clients security needs at all times. Any items that are brought to us will be refurbished and either reused or donated to a charity if possible. If products are too old or defective, we will have the product disassembled and precious metals, plastics, and glass content will be reclaimed. We will only work with partners that share our commitment to responsible stewardship of the environment.

After reading further, it does seem like this company would be a great program if you had a business. (I wonder if you could write if off? Probably.) In fact, I’ll probably recommend it to Ted for his media company. Businesses have a larger cash flow to work with than most consumers, and they would have an incentive to show their clients that they recycle all of their electronics, especially if they were in an industry where good environmental practices were rewarded. (Are you hearing me, Expo exhibitors?) So I’d totally recommend this company to a business interested in upping their environmental ante.

But for consumers, I’d say that each person should make their own choice. In my case, Epson would be cheaper and much more convenient, but I have no idea how my printer will be recycled once it gets shipped. Computer Recycling USA is more expensive and is a hassle, but I’d know that my printer would be disassembled and recycled in the most environmentally-friendly manner possible. But I don’t have to decide yet. For now, I’ll just keep trying to find my still-functioning, albeit cranky, old printer a new home. No matter how good a recycling program is, giving something old a new life is much better by far.

Of course, there’s always this option (warning, music is seriously NSFW):

*UPDATE: Ted found me the original Office Space version, and I’ve updated the post with it. It now has the Indian break dancing at the end, which is awesome.