A waste toner box (also called a waste toner container, bottle or cartridge) catches the leftover toner your color laser printer or copier cleans off its drum and belt. When it fills up, the printer warns you, then stops printing until you put in a new one. This guide explains what the messages mean, how to replace the box, why you shouldn’t empty it, and what to check when the message won’t clear.
Quick answer
- “Waste toner box full” means the container that holds used toner has no room left. Most printers stop printing until you replace it.
- “Nearly full” or “End Soon” means order one now. You can keep printing for a while.
- To fix it, open the door shown in your manual, lift out the old box, keep it upright, and click in a new one. Most printers clear the message on their own.
- Don’t empty and reuse it. Brother and Xerox say to replace it, not reuse it. Emptying spreads fine toner dust and may not clear the message.
- It’s cheap per page. The waste boxes we sell work out to between 0.05¢ and 0.14¢ per page, a small fraction of what the toner costs.
What is a waste toner box?
A laser printer never moves all of its toner onto the paper. A little stays behind on the drum, and on color models on the transfer belt too. A blade or brush scrapes that leftover toner off before the next page, and a small auger carries it into a sealed plastic container. That container is the waste toner box.
- Toner goes onto the drumThe drum picks up toner in the shape of your page.
- Most of it moves to the paperThe transfer roller or belt pulls the image onto the sheet, and the fuser melts it in place.
- The rest is scraped offA cleaning blade wipes the drum or belt clean for the next page.
- It’s carried to the boxAn auger moves the loose toner into the waste toner box.
- The printer tracks the fillA sensor or counter warns you when it’s nearly full.
- Full box, printing stopsThis protects the inside of the printer from overflowing toner.
Color printers make more waste than black-and-white ones. They print four colors per page and clean the belt as well as the drums, which is why most separate waste boxes are found in color lasers and office copiers.
What does “waste toner full” mean? The messages by brand
Every brand words it differently, but there are usually two stages: a warning that gives you time to order, and a stop.
| Message you see | Brand (examples) | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| WT Box End Soon | Brother | The box is almost full | Order a new box now; keep printing |
| Replace WT Box | Brother | The box is full | Replace it before you can print |
| No Waste Toner | Brother | The box is missing or not seated | Reinstall it until it sits level and firm |
| Waste cartridge or waste toner container almost full (reorder) | Xerox | Order a replacement | Order now; printing continues |
| Replace waste cartridge or container | Xerox | It’s full and the printer has stopped | Replace it |
| Waste toner box full, replace waste toner box | Konica Minolta, Sharp, Kyocera, Dell | It’s full | Replace it, or call your service company if it’s under contract |
| Replace or install toner collection unit | HP Color LaserJet Enterprise | The unit is full or missing | Replace or reseat the toner collection unit |
The Brother messages are from Brother’s error list for its current color lasers. Xerox says that when a waste cartridge is almost full a reorder message appears, and when it’s full the printer stops printing and asks you to replace it.
Copier on a service contract? Many office copiers, such as Konica Minolta bizhub models, are leased with supplies included. Konica Minolta’s manuals say the service representative collects the used box. Check your contract before you buy one yourself.
Does every laser printer have a waste toner box?
No. Whether yours has one depends on how its toner and drum are built.
No separate box
Printers that use an all-in-one cartridge, where the toner and drum are one part, keep the waste toner inside the cartridge. That covers most small HP LaserJet and Canon imageCLASS black-and-white models. The waste goes out with the empty cartridge, so there’s nothing extra to buy. Most small black-and-white lasers with a separate drum, like Brother’s, don’t have one either.
Separate waste box
Many color lasers and nearly all office copiers have one. Examples: the Brother HL-L3220CDW, HL-L3280CDW and MFC-L3780CDW (WT229CL), the Xerox C310 and C315, Xerox VersaLink and AltaLink models, the Dell C2660dn and C3760 series, and Konica Minolta bizhub copiers.
Not sure? Look at the supplies or “replace supplies” page of your printer’s manual. If a waste toner box, bottle, container or toner collection unit is listed, your printer has one. Many small HP and Canon color lasers don’t have one, so check before you order.
How to replace a waste toner box
The box is usually behind the front door or a side panel, and on some Brother color lasers it sits under the belt unit. Your manual shows the exact spot. The steps below work for most printers. Put down some paper towels first in case of spills.
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Have the new box ready
Unpack it and keep it next to the printer, so the old one doesn’t sit open. Many new boxes come with a cap or a plastic bag for the old one.
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Open the door and let the printer cool
Leave the printer on unless your manual says otherwise. Parts near the fuser get very hot, so wait a few minutes before you reach in.
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Take out the old box, keeping it upright
Hold it by its handle and pull it straight out. Xerox warns not to lay a used waste cartridge face down or on its side, because it spills. Close any opening with the cap from the new box, then put it in the bag.
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Remove any packing from the new box
Pull off tape, foam or orange packing pieces. On Brother color lasers like the MFC-L8395CDW, Brother says to remove orange packing material inside the printer the first time you replace the box.
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Install the new box until it clicks
Slide it in until it locks, and make sure it sits level. On Brother models that take the belt unit out to reach the box, put the belt back first, then the toner and drum assemblies in their matching color slots.
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Close the door and check the message
Most printers detect the new box and clear the message within a few seconds. If yours doesn’t, see still says full after replacing.
Safety: Toner is a fine powder. Don’t put a waste toner box in a fire; Brother warns it could explode, and Xerox says not to burn any supplies. Don’t breathe the dust or get it in your eyes. To clean up a spill, Xerox says to sweep slowly with a broom or wipe with a damp cloth, and to avoid a vacuum unless it’s built for combustible dust.
Can you empty a waste toner box and reuse it?
You’ll find videos showing how, but we don’t recommend it. Here’s why.
- The makers say not to. Brother’s instructions say “DO NOT reuse the waste toner box.” Xerox, Konica Minolta and others tell you to replace and recycle it.
- It may not clear the message. On some printers the box has a chip or the printer keeps a fill count, so an emptied box can still read as full.
- The dust is the problem. Used toner is a very fine powder that spreads through an office and stains clothes. Pouring it out is where most toner messes start.
- The savings are small. A box costs a fraction of a cent per page, as the table below shows. That’s not worth a cleanup job or a jammed auger.
If you’re stuck mid-job with no spare, order a box and print what you can on a printer that isn’t waiting for one. Don’t tape over a sensor or force the printer to keep going; an overfilled box can push toner back into the printer.
Waste toner box still says full after replacing it?
If the message stays after you put in a new box, work through these checks. They’re all free.
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Reseat the box
Take it out and push it back in firmly until it clicks. A box that’s slightly crooked is the most common cause. Brother’s “No Waste Toner” message means the printer can’t see the box at all.
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Check for leftover packing
Look for tape, a cap or a protective cover still on the new box, and for packing pieces inside the printer.
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Close every door fully
Many printers don’t recheck their supplies until every door and cover is shut. Close them, then turn the printer off and on.
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Confirm the part number
Similar-looking boxes don’t always swap. For example, the Xerox VersaLink C400 and C405 use a different waste cartridge than the C500 and C600. Match the number on the old box or in your manual.
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Wipe the sensor window, if your model has one
On some copiers a small clear window lets an optical sensor see the toner level. Toner dust on it can make a new box read as full. Wipe it gently with a dry, lint-free cloth, only if your manual shows one.
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Ask for help
If the message still won’t clear, the box may be faulty or the printer’s sensor may need service. Any new box, brand-name or compatible, can occasionally be defective. If you bought it from us, contact us and see our returns and exchanges page.
Which waste toner box do you need, and what it costs
The waste toner box is the cheapest supply in a color laser. It lasts for tens of thousands of pages, so its cost per page is tiny next to toner. Here are the compatible waste boxes Swift Ink carries.
| Waste toner box | Fits (examples) | Price | Yield (pages) | Cost per page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compatible waste toner bottle for Xerox 008R13325 | Xerox C310, C315, C320, C410, VersaLink C415 | $19.99 | 30,000 | 0.067¢ |
| Compatible waste cartridge for Xerox 108R01416 | Xerox Phaser 6510, WorkCentre 6515, VersaLink C500, C505, C600, C605 | $21.99 | 30,000 | 0.073¢ |
| Compatible waste toner container for Xerox 008R08101 | Xerox AltaLink C8130, C8135, C8145, C8155, B8145, B8155 | $36.99 | 69,000 (color) | 0.054¢ |
| Compatible waste toner container for Xerox 008R13061 | Xerox AltaLink C8030 to C8070, WorkCentre 7525 to 7970 | $29.99 | 43,000 | 0.070¢ |
| Compatible waste toner container for Konica Minolta WX-103 | Konica Minolta bizhub C224, C284, C364, C454, C554 and e versions | $44.99 | 40,000 | 0.112¢ |
| Compatible waste toner container for Konica Minolta WB-P08 | Konica Minolta bizhub C3300i, C3320i, C3350i, C4000i, C4050i | $29.99 | 27,000 | 0.111¢ |
| Compatible waste toner box for Dell 331-8438 | Dell C2660dn, C2665dnf, C3760dn, C3765dnf, S3840cdn, S3845cdn | $39.99 | 30,000 | 0.133¢ |
Yields are the brand’s rated capacity for each part (Xerox figures from shop.xerox.com, November 2026), or ours where it’s lower. Cost per page is the price divided by the yield. Prices change, so check the product page before you order.
To put that in context: our compatible high-yield black toner for the Xerox C310 and C315 is $66.99 for 8,000 pages, or about 0.84¢ per page. The $19.99 waste bottle adds about 0.07¢. At 1,000 pages a month, one bottle lasts about two and a half years.
Brother color lasers: WT229CL
Brother’s current color lasers, including the HL-L3220CDW, HL-L3280CDW, MFC-L3720CDW, MFC-L3780CDW and the MFC-L8395CDW, use the WT229CL waste toner box. Brother rates it for about 50,000 pages. Swift Ink doesn’t carry a compatible WT229CL right now, but we do carry the compatible TN229XL toner set of 4 for these printers ($99.99, swiftink.com, November 2026).
Ordering tip: Buy the waste box with your next set of toner. It ships in the same box, and you’ll have it on hand when the “nearly full” warning shows up. Not sure which part fits? Send us your printer model through our contact page or call (866) 461-3801.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a waste toner box last?
Most are rated for 25,000 to 70,000 pages, and some copier boxes for more. Pages with heavy color coverage fill it faster. At 1,000 pages a month, a 30,000-page box lasts about two and a half years.
Can I keep printing when the waste toner box is full?
Usually not. Most printers stop once the box is full, so the toner can’t overflow into the printer. During the “nearly full” stage you can keep printing while you wait for a new box.
How do I dispose of a waste toner box?
Cap it, seal it in the plastic bag from the new box, and recycle it under your local rules. Xerox and other makers run supply recycling programs, and Konica Minolta’s service representatives collect boxes on contract machines. Never burn it.
Is a compatible waste toner box safe for my printer?
Yes. A compatible waste toner box is built to the same size and fit as the brand-name part and does the same job. It doesn’t change print quality, because it only stores used toner. If one isn’t recognized, reseat it and then contact the seller.
Does a black-and-white laser printer have a waste toner box?
Most small ones don’t. Printers with all-in-one toner cartridges, such as most HP LaserJet and Canon imageCLASS black-and-white models, keep the waste inside the cartridge. Larger office machines and copiers often do have one.
Why is there toner on my pages after changing the waste box?
Some dust may have spilled inside while you swapped it. Print a few pages to clear it. If smudges or a gray haze keep showing up, see our guide to laser printer smudging and dirty pages.
Need a waste toner box or new toner?
Choose your printer brand, then your model, to see the compatible and remanufactured supplies that fit.
Want to know what your printer really costs to run? Try the cost per page calculator.