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The Writing Instruments Free Recycling Programme
All brands accepted
Please note that this Recycling Programme is closing soon. You have until 31st December 2024 to drop-off your final collection in a participating drop-off retail location. Beyond this date, retail locations will no longer accept collections.
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Felt tips, whiteboard and permanent markers
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Highlighters
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Correction instruments (bottles, tapes and pens)
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Pens, mechanical pencils and refills
How it works
Please note that this Recycling Programme is closing soon.
You have until 31st December 2024 to drop-off your final collection in a participating drop-off retail location.
Beyond this date, retail locations will no longer accept collections.
Today a pen, tomorrow a bench!
Get Started
Please note that this Recycling Programme is closing soon.
You have until 31st December 2024 to drop-off your final collection in a participating drop-off retail location.
Beyond this date, retail locations will no longer accept collections.
See answers to frequently-asked questions here. Can’t find the answer to your question on this page? Check out our Help Center.
Accepted waste: all brands of writing instruments, whether in plastic or metal - pen, felt tip, highlighter, marker, correction fluid pot or tape, mechanical pencil and eraser pen (cap included).
Waste that is NOT accepted: wooden pencils, glue sticks, rubbers, rulers, chalk sticks or cutting objects.
Check the full list and download the accepted waste poster here.
Earn Recycling Rewards
Thanks to the recycling efforts of TerraCyclers like you, we've raised millions globally for schools, charities, and other nonprofits through our recycling programmes.
Click here to learn more about our Recycling Rewards Programme.
1. Recycle
To recycle your writing instruments, please drop them off at your nearest participating store.
2. Earn Rewards
Drop-off administrators earn all of the points for the waste collected at their location! Shipments earn 100 points per kilogram. To earn points, the minimum weight of each shipment must be 15 kilograms.
3. Redeem Rewards
TerraCycle points can be redeemed for a donation of £0.01 per point. Location administrators get to choose which charities or schools to support with the points earned.
Discover Our Recycling Process
Once collected, the writing instruments are cleaned and separated by material type. The fibres and plastics are recycled into raw formats that manufacturers use to make new products.
Click here to take a virtual tour of our processing facilities.
LEARN MORE ABOUT BIC®
Did you know that with a BIC® Cristal® pen that only weighs 5.8 g, you could write for 3km? Along with several other BIC® writing and colouring instruments the BIC® Cristal® pen received the NF Environment Mark (NF 400) which rewards the best products in terms of quality and environmental impact.