A 'Kleen' strike for recycled inks and toners

A local business, with the support of Euro-MP Chris Davies, has brought about a change of policy by The European Parliament.

The European Parliament buys tens of thousands of printer toner cartridges each year, but until now it has ignored calls to make more use of recycled products.

Now the Parliament has changed its policy and is advertising a new contract that makes clear that remanufactured cartridges can compete with brand new ones.

Laura Heywood, secretary of the UK Association of Toner and Inkjet Cartridge Remanufacturers, and managing director of Kleenstrike in Rochdale, described the change as an important opportunity. She said she would like public bodies everywhere to make the purchase of recycled goods a priority.

“We are very grateful for Chris Davies’s assistance and hope now to achieve the same changes in the UK government tender process that has been achieved at a European level.

"Taxpayers' money should not be wasted. Remanufactured cartridges have been proven time and again to be of the same quality as original cartridges, are up to 30-40% less expensive and are more environment-friendly.”

Mr Davies was asked to step in after cartridge remanufacturers and refillers alerted him to a new contract worth millions being let that would have excluded them from competing.

He reminded the Secretary General of the European Parliament that MEPs had repeatedly called for products to be reused and recycled wherever possible.

"It was high time we put our principles into practice," said Davies.