What's the difference?

Convenience-
With bigger companies: You are expected to do all of the work: collecting, packaging, carrying, and shipping.

With SCRP: The only thing we expect the schools to do is collect cartridges. We'll take care of the rest.

Reliability-
With bigger companies: After doing all of the work, you are expected to wait weeks or months before you get a check in the mail.

With SCRP: We'll write you a check and hand it to you personally before we leave your school. We'll come whenever you notify us that it needs to be done, or on regular intervals, whichever you prefer.

Prices-
With bigger companies: Obviously, all companies offer slightly different prices for different types of cartridges. Often, a company will overprice one type of cartridge while underpricing the more common types.

With SCRP: We offer very good prices, but if you find a company that is offering a better price for any type of cartridge, we'll match it or beat it.

What about returning them to the manufacturer?

This is a fairly common method schools use to recycle their empty cartridges. Unfortunately, often the manufacturers don't recycle the cartridges, but destroy them to keep the supply of recycled cartridges down, removing their competition from the market.