HP has revealed an engineering breakthrough that incorporates recycled plastics into the production of new inkjet cartridges.

The company claims that more than 200 million cartridges have been manufactured using the process since it was piloted in 2005.

The process combines multiple sources and grades of recycled plastics, from everyday water bottles to hi-tech HP inkjet cartridges.

Each cartridge comprises 70 to 100 per cent recycled material and outperforms used or refilled cartridges, according to the company.

Customers can return used inkjet cartridges for free through HP's recycling programme.

The initiative is restricted to HP cartridges and will not apply to alternative inkjet cartridge brands.

"By developing the technology to use recycled plastics in original HP inkjet print cartridges, we can reduce the environmental impact HP products have on the planet," said Michael Hoffmann, senior vice president for HP's printing group.

"HP's considerable investment in building a recycling infrastructure made this achievement possible, and this is just the beginning of what we hope to accomplish."