To satisfactorily remove a toner image recorded on a recording medium.

A recording medium with a recorded toner image is introduced into a treatment tank 7 contg. an org. removing soln. based on γ-butyrolactone or a compd. represented by the formula R1O-(CH2-CHR3O)n-R2 (where each of R1 and R2 is CH3, C2H5, C3H7, C4H9 or CH3CO, R3 is H, CH3 or C2H5 and (n) is an integer of 1-4) or the formula R4O-(CH2-CHR5O)n-H (where R4 is CH3, C2H5, C3H7, C4H9 or CH3CO, R5 is H, CH3 or C2H5 and (n) is an integer of 1-4) to swell the toner image. The recording medium is transferred by holding rollers 12 to the confronting parts of brush rollers 11 and the toner image is scraped off by the rollers 11 rotating at high speed.