Two West Midlands businesses offering companies and householders quality inkjet and toner cartridge recycling, are finding they're suddenly in high demand - thanks to the pending recession and a report by boffins.

Cartridge World in Wolverhampton and Walsall are having a boom time after an independent report concluded their refilled printer cartridges were as good as the manufacturers' originals. They're even having to extend their free delivery service to cater for demand.

At the same time thousands of people are also looking for a better deal as the amount of ink and toner that many manufacturers put in their cartridges, shrinks.

The Walsall business in Stafford Street is jointly owned by Paul Tarnawskyj and Richard Williams. Richard also owns the Wolverhampton business, in Stafford Road, Oxley.

"Our refilled inkjet and toner cartridges go through rigorous testing before we hand them back to the customer," said Richard. "We clean them inside and out, check the ink heads and then refill them in a vaccuum machine that ensures there are no air bubbles. When we've finished with them they are as good as new but costing considerably less.

"But now we're both having to increase our delivery services, particularly to local businesses, while we're getting more people coming into our shops. People are looking for quality, but costing less, and they like our environmentally-friendly approach."

The recent independent report said the refill pigment ink in particular, made for the company in Germany, has light-fast qualities that are better than many manufacturers' originals.

Said Paul: "By re-using and thoroughly cleaning cartridges we are saving thousands going into landfill sites and doing a great service to the environment. We've always known we have good products, but there are many rogue suppliers of inkjet cartridges that have given the industry a bad name, while filling your own is messy, can lead to smudged work and is likely to make guarantees void.

"We're convenient, helpful and will even give people advice on what sort of printer they should buy, as many cheaper models are costly to run when it comes to ink. And our refills do not void the guarantee."

Info and free advice from Cartridge World Walsall on 01922 621222 or Wolverhampton on 01902 788240