How to empty the waste toner bottle on a Ricoh copier or printer

Emptying the waste toner in a Ricoh copier or printer is something you can often do quickly that will get your machine up and running again so you don't have to wait for your service technician to come by.  The steps vary depending on which model you have (and some models are designed only for replacement, not for emptying) so this post is broken down into sections for the various Ricoh waste toner system designs.

For whichever model you have, always be careful when emptying the waste toner.  One slip and you could end up spilling toner all over your floor, your wall, your clothes, and the copier.  Always hold the bottle as level as possible when removing and installing it.  Toner tends to dust up when it's dumped, so try to keep the trash bag held tight around the waste toner container.  If toner spills on your clothes, wipe it off with a dry cloth; using water can cause the toner to set into the fabric.  If the dry cloth won't remove the toner, wash with cold water (not hot water).

If your model isn't listed below, open the copier or printer's front cover and look for a gray plastic container.  If you see one, that will likely be the waste toner bottle.


For small Ricoh color copiers:

Models:  C2030, C2050, C2530, C2550, C2051, C2551

This family of smaller color copiers actually uses two waste toner bottles.  Waste toner bottle #1 is located in the front of the copier, directly behind the copier's main front cover.  Open this cover and you will see the wide plastic waste toner container, directly below the four toner bottles.

There are two tabs on the top of the container; push down on these tabs and you can pop the waste toner container straight out.  (If the machine is turned on, it will probably beep at this point.)  There is a plug on the rear side of the waste toner container; with that plug facing up and the container held level, remove that plug and then dump the waste toner into a trash bag.  If you have tape, you can temporarily tape up the four input receptacles on the waste toner container so toner doesn't accidentally spill out of them while you are dumping it.

Waste toner bottle #2 is located on the left side of the copier.  Emptying this waste toner container is slightly more involved, and you may want to leave this to your service technician.  If you're going to do it yourself, turn the copier off before removing this waste toner bottle, or at least open the front cover so that the machine doesn't run.

There is a rectangular plastic cover on the left side of the machine, with two screws on the top holding it in.  Remove these two screws and the cover will swing down.  Now you'll see the transfer cleaning unit (a long black unit) with the waste toner bottle attached to the bottom of it.  Remove the one screw on the top left of the transfer cleaning unit and the one screw on the top right, and the transfer cleaning unit can come out.

There is a plug on one side of the waste toner bottle.  Turn the unit up slightly so that the plug is higher than the rest of the bottle, so that when you remove the plug the waste toner doesn't spill out.  Pull the plug out, then dump the waste toner into a bag.  Be careful not to tip the transfer cleaning unit on its side; if you do, toner may spill out from around the blade and brush.


For 35cpm to 50cpm black and white Ricoh copiers:

Models:  1035, 1045, 2035, 2045, 3035, 3045, 3500,  4500, 4000, 5000, 4001, 5001, 4002, 5002, AP4510

The waste toner container on these copiers is not a separate unit.  It is a reservoir located inside the transfer unit.  Emptying the waste toner on these models is best left to your service technician.


For 51cpm to 80cpm (and some 90cpm) black and white Ricoh copiers:

Models: 1060, 1075, 550, 650, 551, 700, 2051, 2060, 2075, 6000, 7000, 8000, 9000, 5500, 6500, 7500, 6001, 7001, 8001, 9001, 6002, 7502, 9002

On these copiers, the waste toner bottle is located in the lower right area of the machine.  Turn the copier off and open the front door.  You will see the large waste toner bottle to the right of the three main paper trays.

There is a black plastic pin holding the waste toner tray in place.  Remove this pin upward, then slide the waste toner bottle straight out.  The rear side of the waste toner bottle has a black plug; remove this plug, then carefully dump the waste toner bottle into a trash bag.


For the Ricoh MP C300 and MP C400 models:

These two models use a waste toner bottle that is designed to be replaced, rather than emptied and reused.  It is possible to empty the waste toner bottle, but it can get messy, and Ricoh does not recommend it.  The waste toner bottle is located just behind the front door; it is the big plastic container with the fold-out handle.


For older Ricoh color copiers and printers:

Models:  2228c, 2232c, 2238c, 3224c, 3228c, 3235c, 3245c, AP3800C, CL7000, CL7100, CL7200, CL7300

These models have a user-replaceable waste toner bottle that is very easy to get to.  Open the copier's front cover and you will see the waste toner container in the lower left corner, below the PCUs and image transfer belt.  (If your model has an oil collection bottle in front of the waste toner bottle, pivot the oil collection bottle out to the left to gain access to the waste toner bottle.)  Slide the waste toner bottle straight out, then either empty it or replace it.  If you are disposing of the waste toner bottle, insert the plug into the toner hole before throwing the container away.


For modern Ricoh color copiers and printers:

Models:  C2000, C2003, C2500, C2503, C2800, C3000, C3001, C3002, C3003, C3300, C3500, C3501, C3502, C4000, C4500, C4501, C4502, C4503, C5000, C5501, C5502, C5503, C6003, C820, C821

On these models, the waste toner bottle is located to the left of the first paper tray.  For the copier models you'll probably have to remove a screw above the plastic cover to open it; for the printer models, that cover should just swing out.


For higher-volume Ricoh color copiers:

Models:  3260C, 5560, C6000, C6500, C6501, C7500, C7501, Pro 550EX, Pro 700EX

The waste toner bottle for these copiers is located in the same place as the waste toner bottle for the comparable black and white models; to the right of the main paper trays.  Open the front door and slide the waste toner bottle out to empty or replace it.


For desktop Ricoh color printers:

Models:  CL4000, C410, C420, C430

For these printers, the waste toner bottle is black instead of gray.  To get to it, open the cover on the left side of the printer.  The waste toner container is attached to the cover.  To remove it, slide the green lever to the side so it unlocks, then pull the container away from the cover.  If you are replacing the bottle, the new bottle should come with seals; attach these seals to the holes on the old waste toner bottle so the toner doesn't spill.


For Ricoh C305:

On the C305, the waste toner bottle is also black, as it is for the printers listed above.  To remove the waste toner bottle, first slide out the main paper tray and set it aside.  Then open the front cover.  The waste toner bottle is the big black plastic container across the front of the copier; slide it straight out to remove it.  If you will be replacing it with a new container, use the plastic caps attached to the old bottle to seal up the toner input ports so that toner doesn't spill out.


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