Central Copiers

Toner Safety Information

This information page is for all customers who need to handle toner cartridges and toner waste units:-

Laser printer toner is an irritant and may be carcinogenic. That means that it can cause rash and/or irritation, and if inhaled or ingested it may cause cancer. The powder is very fine and easily travels a distance of two to three meters through the air.

Safe Disposal

We ask our customers not to dispose of laser toner products by normal means, but to arrange collection with an approved recycling company. Most good toner suppliers offer a recycling service and will collect your used toner products for a small fee.

Safe Handling

It is very important to handle all toner products with great care. Please follow the instructions below:-

New Toner Cartridges

Always wear disposable rubber gloves and a disposable FFP2 face mask when handling new toner cartridges.

Any new toner cartridge that you buy will come within a sealed bag inside a box that will have customised packing to protect the cartridge whilst in transit. ALWAYS KEEP THE PACKAGING. This gives you a safe place to put the used toner cartridge after use.

Note also that companies who take used cartridges for recycling will only accept them if they are properly sealed and packaged.

Outside of the sealed bag, the safest place for the toner cartridge is inside the printer/copier. Open the new toner box and remove the sealed toner bag from the internal packaging. Open the sealed bag and place the toner cartridge in the machine as quickly as is reasonably possible.

When finished remove gloves and mask, and then wash hands and face.

Used Toner Cartridges

Always wear disposable rubber gloves and a disposable FFP2 face mask when handling used toner cartridges.

Most toner cartridges will manage to ‘find’ an extra 500 pages if you remove the cartridge and roll it gently backwards and forwards. Do not shake it, turn it on its end or turn it upside down. Put it back into the machine as soon as possible.

When you remove an ’empty’ toner cartridge remember that it is never 100% empty: Do not shake it, turn it on its end or turn it upside down. Get it into the same bag that it was delivered in when it was new, and as quickly as possible

Because the original bag has been opened, you will have to place the used cartridge inside the original bag and then place both inside a new polythene bag which has no holes. If your polythene bag is not sealable, seal it with ‘Cellotape’ or ‘3M’ office tape.

Put the (now sealed) used cartridge inside its original box with protective packaging and seal the box as it was originally with clear tape or packaging tape. Mark the box clearly as ‘Empty Toner Cartridge’ and ‘This Way Up’

When finished remove gloves and mask, and then wash hands and face.

Waste Toner Collectors (Vessels, Bottles, Trays, Bins, etc)

Always wear disposable rubber gloves and a disposable FFP2 face mask when handling waste toner collectors.

Before you remove a waste toner collector, you should prepare a bin bag (or similar) onto which you can place the waste toner collector. You should also have original packaging for the waste toner collector, whether the original or that of the new waste toner collector you have just purchased.

Remove the waste toner collector, taking care to keep it level, and place it on the prepared polythene sheet or bin bag. Many designs have an open hole with a nearby plastic plug to seal the hole. If so, seal the waste toner collector by inserting the plastic plug into the open hole. Other design have a sliding door that needs to be manually closed. Others have a sprung flap which closes automatically when removed.

When you are sure that the unit is closed, place it inside your bin bag and seal it with clear tape. When doing so, try to keep the waste toner collector in its upright position.

Put the (now sealed) used toner collector inside its original box with protective packaging and seal the box as it was originally with clear tape or packaging tape. Mark the box clearly as ‘Full Waste Toner Collector’ and ‘This Way Up’

When finished remove gloves and mask, and then wash hands and face.

Safe Storage

Many recycling companies will require you to have a reasonable amount of used consumables to merit a collection. If you have followed the instructions above and your used items are within sealed bags within sealed boxes, then they will be safe to store if kept dry and cool.

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