Sydney's Printer Recycling Specialists
Secure Printer Recycling Sydney
MFP Data Destruction
Safe Toner Disposal
Zero Landfill
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Please note: We collect electronic waste (e-waste) only. Other types of waste are not accepted.
ISO/IEC 27001:2022
Information Security Management
ISO 45001:2018
Occupational Health and Safety Management
ISO 9001:2015
Quality Management Systems
ISO 14001:2015
Environmental Management
In Short
ITC Asset Management provides certified printer recycling and photocopier recycling in Sydney for businesses, covering office printers, multifunction devices, photocopiers, scanners and fax machines. The critical and widely overlooked risk is that many office copiers and multifunction devices store the documents they scan, print, copy or fax on an internal hard drive, so printer disposal is a data security task, not just an e-waste task.
We inspect every device, locate any internal storage, and remove it for sanitisation or physical destruction under our ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certified chain of custody before the machine is recycled. Toner and cartridges are handled separately for safe processing. Leased devices are documented for return. Every job closes with a serialised Certificate of Data Destruction for the internal drive and a Certificate of Recycling for the hardware.
Whether you are removing one old office printer, decommissioning a floor of multifunction devices, or handing a leased copier fleet back at end of term, the same three questions decide who should do the work: who signs for the data, who can physically move the machine, and what documentation lands on your desk afterwards. This page answers all three.
The Short Answer
How Do You Recycle a Printer or Photocopier in Sydney?
To recycle a printer in Sydney, book a certified business collection if the device is an office copier or multifunction device, because it holds an internal hard drive. A single small desktop printer can go to a retailer take-back bin or a council e-waste drop-off, which are free but issue no certificate and will not touch the data.
The dividing line is data, not size. Anything that scanned, copied or faxed a document has probably stored an image of it. That is why the channel you choose matters more for a copier than for a kettle, and why secure data destruction sits in front of recycling in every job we run.
It is also why business printer disposal and household printer disposal are not the same problem. A household needs a bin. A business needs a chain of custody, a lifting plan, and a document it can hand to an auditor.
Electronic waste generated in Australia in 2023, up 38 per cent in a decade. Printers, copiers and computers are counted in this stream.
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Waste Account Australia, 2024Share of the world's e-waste that was formally collected and recycled in 2022. The rest was informally handled, stockpiled or landfilled.
UNITAR Global E-Waste Monitor 2024Value of materials lost to Australian landfill in a single year, including the steel, aluminium, copper and circuit boards inside office print devices.
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and WaterFor the wider picture on what counts as electronic waste and how it is classified, see our explainer on what e-waste is.
The Risk Nobody Mentions
The Hidden Hard Drive in Your Photocopier
Many office photocopiers and multifunction devices contain an internal hard drive or solid state module that stores an image of documents they have scanned, printed, copied or faxed. Whether a given machine stores documents, and for how long, varies by manufacturer, model, configuration and age, which is exactly why we inspect and confirm rather than assume.
This is the single most overlooked data risk in any office, and the reason printer recycling and photocopier recycling must be treated as secure data destruction, not general e-waste. When a leased copier is returned or an old multifunction device is sent for recycling with that drive still inside, years of contracts, payroll, medical records and confidential correspondence can leave the building with it.
We treat every photocopier and multifunction device as a potentially data-bearing asset until proven otherwise. Any internal drive is located, removed, sanitised or physically destroyed by hard drive shredding where the data classification calls for it, and reconciled against the asset manifest before the device is recycled. You receive a serialised Certificate of Data Destruction for that drive, so your auditors can see the risk was addressed.
A general printer recycler will not do this. Neither will a council drop-off, a retailer take-back bin, or a rubbish removalist. It is the difference between recycling a printer and securely disposing of one.
Why the copier is the weak point in most office decommissions
Laptops and servers get wiped because everyone knows they hold data. The copier in the corridor gets wheeled onto a truck because nobody thinks of it as a computer. It is a computer. It has an operating system, a network address, an address book, stored fax logs, held print jobs, scan-to-email credentials and, on most business-grade machines, a drive holding document images.
Under the Privacy Act 1988, documents stored on that drive are personal information and remain your responsibility until they are irretrievably destroyed. Serious or repeated interference with privacy now carries a penalty of $50 million or more for a body corporate, or three times the benefit obtained, or 30 per cent of adjusted turnover, whichever is greater.
What an office copier can retain
- Document images from scan, copy, print and fax jobs
- Held and secure-release print queues
- Network configuration, IP and domain credentials
- Scan-to-email and scan-to-folder account details
- Address books and user directories
- Job logs showing who printed what and when
- Stored forms, letterheads and overlays
If you want the underlying detail on which devices store what, and for how long, read our technical breakdown of the data held on a photocopier and MFP hard drive. For the wider office clear-out, our guide to disposing of office printers and monitors covers screens as well as print devices.
Not sure whether your copier holds a drive? Send us the make and model. We will tell you what that machine stores before you book anything.
Ask About Your DeviceScope Of Service
Printers and Devices We Recycle
Every category of print device, with the treatment applied to each and whether it carries a data risk. If a machine puts marks on paper or turns paper into a file, we collect it.
| Device | Data risk | Recycling treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Photocopiers | High | Internal hard drive commonly stores copied, scanned and faxed documents. The drive is located, removed, and sanitised or physically destroyed, then the copier is dismantled and recycled. |
| Multifunction devices (MFD and MFP) | High | The same internal storage as photocopiers, plus network configuration and address book data. Drive sanitised or destroyed, configuration cleared, then recycled. MFD disposal is treated as a data job first. |
| Office and networked laser printers | Variable | Networked laser printers may hold spooled jobs, held print queues and stored data in memory or on a drive. Each unit is checked, cleared, then recycled. |
| Desktop inkjet printers | Low | Rarely data bearing. Checked, then dismantled for material recovery. Accepted in any quantity as part of a wider collection. |
| Wide-format plotters and production printers | High | Almost always contain internal storage and a controller. Drive removed and destroyed, then the unit is dismantled on site or at our North Rocks facility depending on access. |
| Scanners and fax machines | Low to moderate | May retain stored images, transmission logs or speed dial directories. Checked and cleared before recycling. |
| Label, receipt and thermal printers | Low | Collected with the rest of the fleet and processed for material recovery. |
| Toner, ink and drum units | None | No data risk. Separated on arrival and processed so the powder, plastic housing and metal components each go to their own recovery stream. |
| Leased devices | High | Documented for lease return, with a Certificate of Data Destruction for the internal drive so the return is auditable and defensible. |
Printer fleet decommissioning
Most enquiries we receive are not one printer. They are a floor, a branch, or a whole tenancy changing over at once, often to a coincidental deadline like a lease expiry or an office move. A printer fleet disposal is a scheduling problem as much as a recycling one.
We build the collection around your operating hours, take the devices in the order that clears your floor fastest, and reconcile the asset manifest against your own register so finance and IT can close the assets off the books. Office printer removal, computers, monitors and the rest of the e-waste can travel on the same booking.
If the equipment is recent and still working, some of it may be worth more alive than shredded. See IT asset buyback.
Typical fleet jobs we handle
- Leased MFD fleets at end of term across multiple floors
- Office relocations where the print fleet is not moving
- Branch consolidation for banks, insurers and legal firms
- School and university print refresh cycles
- Hospital and clinic device replacement
- Government agency print rationalisation
- Print rooms and mailrooms being closed down
The Part Everyone Skips
Can Someone Actually Move a Floor-Standing Copier Out of Our Office?
Yes. A floor-standing production copier can weigh more than a commercial fridge once its finisher and paper decks are attached, and it will not fit through a standard passenger lift assembled. We survey the access route before the booking, break the machine down into moveable modules where the model allows, and bring the lifting equipment and crew size the job needs under our ISO 45001:2018 work health and safety system.
This is the question that decides whether a printer recycling booking succeeds or wastes everybody's morning, and it is the one almost nobody answers online. Council drop-offs cap acceptance by size. Retailer take-back programmes are built around what a person can carry through the front door. Manufacturer programmes generally ask you to telephone if the device is large. None of that helps a facilities manager on level 14 with four multifunction devices and a goods lift booking that expires at 11am.
| Machine class | Practical handling reality | What we confirm before booking |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop printer or scanner | One person, carried by hand, no equipment needed. | Quantity and collection point only. |
| Small office MFD on a stand | Two person lift or a trolley. Fits a standard passenger lift upright. | Lift availability, doorway widths, whether the stand is separable. |
| Floor-standing office copier | Trolley and two crew as a minimum. Often needs the paper decks detached to clear a lift door. | Goods lift dimensions and weight limit, dock access and booking window, floor surface and thresholds. |
| Production copier with finisher | Modular breakdown is usually mandatory. The finisher, decks and engine come apart and travel separately. | Model specific breakdown plan, route measurements, floor loading, whether a dock leveller or tail lift is required. |
| Wide-format plotter | Long and awkward rather than heavy. Turning circles and corridor corners are the constraint. | Corridor and corner clearances, whether the stand and roll feeder detach. |
| Any machine with no lift access | Stair descent with the appropriate stair-handling equipment and additional crew, planned rather than improvised. | Number of flights, stair width, landing turns, handrail clearance, building rules on stair use. |
Docks, lifts and building rules
Sydney CBD towers run on booked docks and booked goods lifts, and most require a site induction and paperwork lodged in advance. We handle that coordination with building management as part of the job rather than discovering it on the day.
ISO 45001:2018 certified
Our occupational health and safety management system is independently certified, which matters when the work involves moving several hundred kilograms of machinery through an occupied floor during business hours.
Working around your floor
Where a tenancy cannot spare the corridor during trading hours, collection can be scheduled outside them. Tell us the window that works and we will plan the route and the crew to fit it.
Send a photo of the machine and the corridor. That is usually all we need to size the crew, the equipment and the lift booking correctly the first time.
Book a Site AssessmentChoosing A Channel
Where to Recycle a Printer or Photocopier in Sydney
A small desktop printer can go to a retailer take-back programme or a council e-waste drop-off. An office copier or multifunction device is a different matter, because it is heavy and it holds data. For business printer disposal in Sydney, and for anything that scanned or copied confidential documents, a certified collection is the right channel.
Retailer programmes and council e-waste drop-offs are genuinely useful for a household or a single small printer. They are free, and they keep the device inside a regulated recycling pathway. What they do not do is remove and destroy the internal hard drive inside an office photocopier or multifunction device, provide a certificate you can show an auditor, or collect a heavy device from your floor.
| Channel | Best for | Data destruction and certificate |
|---|---|---|
| Retailer or council drop-off | A household or a single small desktop printer | No internal drive destruction and no certificate. You carry the device in yourself. |
| General e-waste removalist | Bulk removal where data is not a concern | Usually recycling only, with data handled as a secondary service, if at all. |
| ITC certified collection | Office copiers, MFDs, printer fleets, leased returns | Internal drive removed and destroyed, with serialised certificates, under an ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certified chain of custody. Collected from your floor across Sydney. |
If you are clearing a whole office, you can dispose of printers, copiers, computers and the rest of the e-waste in one collection. See e-waste recycling in Sydney for the full service, or read our guide to how to recycle electronics in Australia for the household options.
Named Sydney printer drop-off options and what each one will not do
Most guides tell you to take a printer to a drop-off point. Very few tell you which points accept business equipment. Several widely used Sydney options explicitly do not.
| Option | Who it is open to | Print items accepted | Drive destruction and certificate |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Sydney e-waste service | Residents of the City of Sydney local government area | Printers are listed as accepted, with a doorstep collection for items that fit in a reusable shopping bag and in-store recycling stations for items under 10 cm wide | None. The council states that its recycling process does not include data wiping, and no certificate is issued. |
| Recycle It Saturday | Residents of the City of Sydney, Waverley and Woollahra only. The service states directly that it cannot accept items from businesses. | Printer cartridges, including inkjet, laser and toner bottles | None. No certificate is issued. |
| Retailer take-back programmes | Anyone, at household scale, in store | Typically printers, ink and toner cartridges, computers, monitors, cables and keyboards. Staff assistance is needed for larger items, and acceptance lists change, so confirm before travelling. | None. You are asked to clear your own data first. |
| National scheme drop-off points | Households and small business, at participating collection points | Printers are inside the scheme's scope | None. Recycling only. |
| Manufacturer take-back programmes | Usually the manufacturer's own customers, often after registration | Generally consumables such as cartridges and ink packs, frequently brand locked and subject to minimum quantities | None for the machine itself. Large devices are typically referred to a phone call. |
| ITC certified business collection | Businesses of any size across Sydney, including Sydney CBD | Photocopiers, MFDs, printer fleets, scanners, fax machines, plotters, toner and cartridges | Internal drive removed and destroyed, with a serialised Certificate of Data Destruction and a Certificate of Recycling. |
Council event dates and acceptance rules change. Recycle It Saturday runs at the Alexandra Canal Depot, 67C Bourke Road, Alexandria, with sessions listed for 22 August 2026 and 21 November 2026 from 9am to 3pm at the time of writing. Confirm with the council before travelling. For a wider list of public options across the city, see where to drop off electronic waste in Sydney.
Regulatory Scope
Are Printers Covered by the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme?
Yes. Printers sit inside the scope of the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme, which has operated since 2011 alongside televisions, desktop computers, laptops, tablets, monitors, scanners and computer parts. The scheme funds free drop-off points aimed at households and small business, not at corporate print fleets.
That distinction is the one most guides skip. Knowing a printer is covered by the scheme tells you a household can drop one off for nothing. It tells you almost nothing about what a firm with twelve leased multifunction devices in a CBD tower should actually do.
| What the scheme does | What it does not do |
|---|---|
| Funds collection points so households and small business can drop off printers, computers and monitors without paying a gate fee | Send a team to your floor, book the dock, and move a floor-standing copier down a lift |
| Puts covered equipment into a regulated recycling pathway rather than general waste | Remove, sanitise or destroy the internal hard drive inside a photocopier or multifunction device |
| Covers scanners, fax machines and computer parts as well as printers | Cover toner and ink cartridges, which sit outside the scheme and need a separate route |
| Reports collected volumes into Australia's product stewardship framework | Issue a serialised Certificate of Data Destruction or a Certificate of Recycling in your business name |
A business can still use scheme drop-off points for small volumes. The point is that the scheme was never designed to answer the question a compliance manager is actually asking, which is who signs for the data. For the broader disposal framework, see IT asset disposal in Sydney.
Consumables And Materials
Where Do Toner and Ink Cartridges Go?
Cartridges sit outside the national recycling scheme, so they need their own route. We take toner and cartridges as part of the same booked collection as the devices, then separate them on arrival so the powder, the plastic housing and the metal components each go to their own recovery stream.
A used toner cartridge is a sealed plastic and metal assembly with residual powder inside. It should not go in a co-mingled recycling bin, because the powder contaminates the stream and the assembly is not separated at a kerbside facility. Some retailer and council programmes accept cartridges at household scale, but for an office that gets through cartridges by the carton, none of them is a workable standing arrangement.
What is actually inside a recycled office printer
A multifunction device is one of the more materially mixed items in an office, which is why it is dismantled rather than shredded whole. Materials are directed to certified downstream processors for recovery.
| Component | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| Steel chassis and frame | Ferrous metal recovery, the largest single fraction by weight in a floor-standing copier |
| Aluminium and copper | Non-ferrous metal recovery from motors, rollers, wiring looms and heat assemblies |
| Circuit boards | Removed as a separate stream for precious and base metal recovery, and checked for any secondary memory |
| Internal hard drive | Removed before anything else, then sanitised or physically destroyed. The media itself is recycled afterwards. |
| Plastic housings | Sorted by polymer type where the resin is identifiable and sent for reprocessing |
| Toner, cartridges and drum units | Separated and processed independently of the device, with each material stream directed to a certified downstream processor |
| Glass platen and optics | Removed intact for glass recovery, along with the scanner assembly |
Devices are processed in line with the AS/NZS 5377 standard under our ISO 14001:2015 certified environmental management system. Screens follow a different path again, because a monitor panel and its backlight need their own handling. If you are clearing displays at the same time as print devices, see monitor recycling in Sydney. All of it can travel on one booking.
Risk And Compliance
Why Secure Printer Recycling Matters
A copier drive holds personal information, and personal information stays your responsibility until it is irretrievably destroyed. The risk, and how a certified process removes it, is set out below.
Data breach notifications received by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner in the 2024 calendar year, 518 in the first half and 595 in the second.
OAIC Notifiable Data Breaches ReportNotifications in the second half of 2024 attributed to theft of paperwork or a data storage device, loss of paperwork or a device, or insecure disposal. Physical assets, not hackers.
OAIC Notifiable Data Breaches Report, July to December 2024Maximum penalty for a body corporate for serious or repeated interference with privacy, or three times the benefit obtained, or 30 per cent of adjusted turnover, whichever is greater.
Privacy Act 1988| Concern | How we address it |
|---|---|
| Internal hard drive | Located and removed from every photocopier and multifunction device that has one, then sanitised or physically destroyed, with a serialised certificate identifying the drive. |
| Privacy Act obligations | Documents stored on a copier drive are personal information under the Privacy Act 1988. Certified destruction with documented evidence supports your APP 11 obligations to destroy or de-identify information you no longer need. A certificate is evidence of the process followed, not an automatic finding of compliance, and your own obligations remain your own. |
| Lease returns | Leased copiers returned with data intact are a common breach point, because the machine goes back to a third party you do not control. We destroy the drive and document it before the return. |
| Chain of custody | Every device logged from collection to destruction and recycling under our ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certified chain of custody, so there is no gap between your floor and the processing site. |
| Environmental outcome | After the data is handled, devices, toner and cartridges are processed under our ISO 14001:2015 certified environmental management system, in line with the AS/NZS 5377 standard, with materials directed to certified downstream processors for recovery. |
Every ITC job closes with a serialised Certificate of Data Destruction and a Certificate of Recycling. Ask for a sample before you book, so you know exactly what your auditor will see.
Request Sample CertificatesHow It Works
Our Printer Recycling Process
Data first, then recycling. Every internal drive accounted for, every device reconciled against the manifest, and two certificates issued at the close of the job.
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Scope and access survey
We confirm device types, quantities, floor levels, lift and dock access, and any building induction requirements, so the crew and equipment sent to site match the job.
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Collection under chain of custody
Our own team collects your printers and copiers under a documented chain of custody, with dock and lift coordination for heavy devices and modular breakdown where a machine will not fit a lift assembled.
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Device inventory
Every device logged by make, model and asset tag, with internal drives identified for removal and reconciled against your own asset register.
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Drive removal and destruction
Internal hard drives are removed and sanitised, or physically destroyed by shredding where the data classification calls for it, under our ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certified information security management system.
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Dismantling and material recovery
Devices are dismantled into steel, non-ferrous metals, circuit boards, plastics and glass, with toner and cartridges separated, under our ISO 14001:2015 environmental system and in line with the AS/NZS 5377 standard.
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Certificates issued
A serialised Certificate of Data Destruction for each internal drive, plus a Certificate of Recycling for the hardware, ready for your audit file.
Servicing business sites across Greater Sydney from our North Rocks facility. See all locations we cover.
Why ITC
Why Sydney Businesses Choose ITC for Printer Recycling
Because printer disposal is three jobs pretending to be one. It is a data destruction job, a heavy removals job and a recycling job, and most providers are set up for exactly one of them. ITC is certified for all three, and closes the job with documentation you can file.
Internal drive destruction
We find and destroy the internal hard drive that a general recycler leaves inside, the biggest hidden data risk in printer disposal.
Four current ISO certifications
ISO/IEC 27001:2022 for information security, ISO 14001:2015 for environment, ISO 9001:2015 for quality and ISO 45001:2018 for work health and safety, with chain of custody on every device.
Heavy machine capability
Floor-standing copiers, production units and plotters moved from your floor with a planned route, the right crew size and the right equipment.
Lease return ready
Leased copiers documented and the drive destroyed before return, so the handover is defensible and your auditor has the paperwork.
What you actually get, compared with the alternatives
| What you need | Council or retailer drop-off | General e-waste removalist | ITC certified collection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accepts business equipment | Often excluded | Yes | Yes |
| Internal copier drive removed | No | Rarely | Yes, on every device |
| Serialised Certificate of Data Destruction | No | Sometimes on request | Yes, every job |
| Certificate of Recycling | No | Varies | Yes, every job |
| Certified information security system | No | Uncommon | ISO/IEC 27001:2022 |
| Collection from your floor | No, you deliver | Yes | Yes, with lift and dock coordination |
| Floor-standing and production machines | Size limits apply | Case by case | Planned and equipped for |
| Machine, toner and data on one booking | No | Rarely | Yes |
| Asset manifest for your register | No | Rarely | Yes, by make, model and asset tag |
The benefits, in plain terms
- One booking removes the print fleet, the toner, the computers and the monitors together, so you organise one visit rather than four.
- The data question is closed before the machine leaves the building, not after it reaches somebody's yard.
- Your audit file gets a serialised certificate naming the drive, the method and the date.
- Your asset register gets a manifest by make, model and asset tag, so finance can retire the assets cleanly.
- Lease returns go back documented, which removes the argument about who was holding the data.
- Heavy machines are planned for rather than discovered on the day, which protects your building relationship.
- Recovered materials are directed to certified downstream processors, supporting your own environmental reporting.
- Recent working devices can be assessed for resale value instead of being destroyed by default.
Who we do this for
Corporate offices, schools and universities, hospitals and clinics, banks and insurers, legal practices and government agencies across Sydney. These are the sectors where a copier drive is most likely to hold something that must never surface, and where the documentation matters as much as the outcome.
Sector specific requirements are set out under industries we serve, including government, healthcare, financial services and education.
Our certifications
- ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Information Security Management
- ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management
- ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems
- ISO 45001:2018 Occupational Health and Safety Management
Client Feedback
What Sydney Clients Say
Verified 5-star reviews from our Google Business Profile.
Amazing service from ITC Asset Management. Naomi was very clear and concise with the cost and the service. Rohit who picked up our depreciated IT assets was so efficient in his work and showed high level of professionalism. Thanks again.Steven Peralta
Really impressed with this service. Was recommended to us by our IT supplier and could not be happier. Communication was excellent throughout the process. Pick up was arranged quickly and happened as promised. Destruction certificates provided as promised and never needed to chase. Would highly recommend.Kelly Hovorka
Choosing ITC Asset Management was clearly the right choice. I needed an e-Waste provider that was ISO certified and they were able to assist with all of my requirements.Gerard Andre
I contacted ITC through their website and was contacted back within minutes. I was given really detailed information on their process which helped me decide that they would be right for the job. I was able to book my e-Waste collection within the dates that I requested and the gentlemen who attended my office were lovely and helpful.Sachintha Mara
Collected all our e-waste and provided the reports as requested. Professional service.Cleo Doh
Quick response to emails, turned up on time and took everything away with no fuss.Colin
Questions
Printer Recycling Sydney: Frequently Asked Questions
Why is printer and photocopier recycling a data security issue?
Because office photocopiers and multifunction devices commonly contain an internal hard drive that stores an image of documents they scan, print, copy or fax. When the device is recycled or a lease is returned with that drive still inside, years of confidential documents can leave with it. Secure photocopier recycling means locating and destroying that internal drive, which a general recycler does not do.
Do you offer photocopier recycling in Sydney?
Yes. Photocopier recycling is one of our core print device services. We collect the copier, locate and remove its internal hard drive, sanitise or physically destroy it, handle the toner safely, and recycle the device under our ISO 14001:2015 environmental management system. You receive a serialised Certificate of Data Destruction for the drive and a Certificate of Recycling for the hardware.
Where can I recycle an old printer in Sydney?
For a single small desktop printer, a retailer take-back programme or a council e-waste drop-off is a free and easy option. For an office copier, a multifunction device, a printer fleet, or a leased device being returned, a certified business collection is the right channel, because those devices are heavy and hold data that needs to be destroyed and documented. ITC collects across Sydney and handles both the data and the recycling in one visit.
Do you offer printer recycling near me in Sydney?
We collect from business sites across Greater Sydney, from the CBD and North Sydney through Parramatta and the western suburbs to the north shore, the inner west, the eastern suburbs, the Sutherland Shire and the Macarthur region, operating from our facility at North Rocks. Rather than a drop-off point you drive to, the service comes to your floor. See our full list of locations to check your area.
What print devices do you recycle?
We recycle photocopiers, multifunction devices, office and networked printers, desktop inkjets, wide-format plotters, production printers, scanners and fax machines, along with toner and cartridges. For the full electronic waste range across all device types, see e-waste recycling in Sydney, and for computers and laptops, see computer recycling.
What is MFD disposal, and is it different from printer recycling?
MFD disposal refers to retiring a multifunction device, the combined printer, copier, scanner and fax unit found in most offices. It differs from ordinary printer recycling in one important way: an MFD is a networked computer with storage, an address book and job logs, so the disposal has to close the data question before the recycling question. Practically, that means the drive comes out and is destroyed under a documented chain of custody, and you receive a certificate naming it.
What about a leased copier I need to return?
Leased copiers are a common data breach point, because they are returned to the leasing company with the internal drive and all its stored documents intact. Before your device goes back, we remove and destroy the internal hard drive and document it, so your lease return is auditable and your Privacy Act position is defensible. We can coordinate timing around your lease return date.
How is the internal drive data destroyed?
The internal hard drive is removed from the machine and either sanitised so the data cannot be reconstructed, or physically destroyed by shredding where the data classification calls for it. The process runs under our ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certified chain of custody, and you receive a serialised Certificate of Data Destruction identifying the drive, the method and the date.
Can you remove printers from an upper floor with no goods lift?
Yes, with planning. We ask for the number of flights, the stair width, the landing turns and any building rules on stair use before the booking, then send the crew size and stair-handling equipment the job needs under our ISO 45001:2018 work health and safety system. Where a machine cannot be moved intact, models that support modular breakdown are separated into engine, decks and finisher and moved in parts. This is exactly the situation a retailer take-back bin or a council drop-off cannot help with.
Do you recycle wide-format and floor-standing production printers?
Yes. Wide-format plotters, floor-standing production printers and high-volume finishing units are collected the same way as desktop and networked devices, with the practical difference that access planning matters more. We confirm dock access, lift dimensions and floor loading before the booking, and bring the equipment to move the device safely under our ISO 45001:2018 work health and safety system. These machines almost always contain an internal hard drive, so the drive is removed and destroyed before the unit is dismantled.
Can you handle commercial printer recycling across several sites?
Yes. Multi-site printer fleet disposal is scheduled as one programme with a single point of contact, one consolidated asset manifest and one certificate pack, rather than a separate transaction per branch. For organisations outside Sydney as well, see national IT asset disposal.
Can an old office printer or photocopier still have value?
Sometimes. A recent, high-capacity multifunction device that still works can carry residual resale value. Where that is the case, the device can be securely wiped, assessed and remarketed through IT asset buyback rather than recycled, which recovers some value and keeps the equipment in use. The data is destroyed either way, so security is never traded off against value.
What happens to the toner and cartridges?
Toner and cartridges carry no data risk, so they are separated and processed for material recovery, with each stream directed to a certified downstream processor. We handle them as part of the same collection, so you do not need a separate toner recycling arrangement.
Is printer collection free?
It depends on the volume, the device types and the access. A large fleet collection from a site with dock and lift access is a very different job from a single floor-standing copier carried down three flights of stairs, and the quote reflects that. Tell us your device types, quantities and location and we will give you a no-obligation quote with the price and the inclusions set out in writing before you commit to anything.
How soon can you collect?
Scheduling depends on the size of the fleet, the access arrangements and any building induction or dock booking your site requires. If you are working to a fixed deadline such as a lease return date or a hand-back of premises, tell us the date when you enquire and we will confirm at quote stage whether we can meet it rather than leaving you to find out later.
What documentation do I receive?
Every printer recycling job includes a signed asset manifest at collection, a serialised Certificate of Data Destruction for each internal hard drive showing the destruction method and date, and a Certificate of Recycling for the downstream material recovery. For enterprise and government clients we provide a vendor management evidence pack including our ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certificate on request.
Can you provide evidence for our vendor due diligence pack?
Yes. We supply our current ISO/IEC 27001:2022, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018 certificates, our insurance details, and a written description of the chain of custody and destruction process, which is usually what a procurement or risk team needs to onboard a disposal supplier. Details are on our certifications page.
Are printers covered by the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme?
Yes. Printers are inside the scheme's scope, along with televisions, desktop computers, laptops, tablets, monitors, scanners and computer parts. The scheme has run since 2011 and funds free drop-off points aimed at households and small business. It does not cover toner and ink cartridges, it does not collect from your premises, and it does not destroy the internal hard drive inside a photocopier or issue you a certificate. For a business print fleet, a certified collection is the appropriate channel.
Can a business drop printers at a council e-waste event?
Usually not. Council e-waste events are funded for residents. The City of Sydney Recycle It Saturday event at the Alexandra Canal Depot, for example, is open to residents of the City of Sydney, Waverley and Woollahra, and states directly that it cannot accept items from businesses. Retailer take-back programmes are open to anyone but are built around household volumes and need staff assistance for larger items. If you are disposing of office equipment as a business, book a business collection instead.
How much e-waste does Australia generate?
Australia generated 588,000 tonnes of electronic waste in 2023, an increase of 38 per cent over a decade, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics Waste Account Australia released in 2024. Globally, the UNITAR Global E-Waste Monitor 2024 found that only 22.3 per cent of e-waste generated in 2022 was formally collected and recycled. The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has put the value of materials lost to Australian landfill at around 430 million dollars in a single year. Office print devices sit inside all three figures.
What is the difference between printer recycling and printer disposal?
Printer recycling describes the material outcome, which is dismantling the device and recovering the steel, aluminium, copper, circuit boards, plastics and glass inside it. Printer disposal describes the whole obligation, which for a business also includes the data on the internal drive, the chain of custody from your floor to the processing site, the treatment of toner and cartridges, and the documentation your auditor will ask for. A device can be recycled without being disposed of properly. That gap is where most business risk sits.
Next Step
Book Printer Recycling in Sydney
From a single office printer to a fleet of leased photocopiers, get a no-obligation quote for certified printer recycling that destroys the hidden internal hard drive, handles toner safely, and directs recovered materials to certified downstream processors. Tell us the device types, the quantities, the floor and the access, and we will come back with a price and a date.
ITC Asset Management, Unit 25, 16 Loyalty Road, North Rocks NSW 2151. Certified to ISO/IEC 27001:2022, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018.