Letter from the PTO president.
ETCEP is self-funding. The cartridges collected through the ETCEP Program are subjected to a sophisticated screening and re-qualification process and are then sold back to either the original manufacturers, or to the printer supplies after-market, both of whom recycle or remanufacture the components. The net sales proceeds are used to purchase the technology products that the schools are receiving.
ETCEP is a recycling program originally created and managed by ERS Imaging Supplies, Inc. After three years of nurturing this program, ERS spun off ETCEP and it is now a fully independent operation dedicated solely to the mission of connecting community, education and the environment.
In early 1996 ERS started ETCEP as a response to independent funding efforts by schools throughout the country. These schools began collecting empty laser and inkjet cartridges from their community. These schools then solicited ERS, the world's leading organization dedicated to the recovery and processing of spent ink and laser printer cartridges, to purchase the cartridges. One school, Alton Elementary School, in Missouri indicated that they intended to purchase computers with the proceeds. Realizing the substantial opportunity for our nation's schools, ERS developed ETCEP as an organized means for any school in the country to participate in this type of funding effort. In the Fall of 1996, ERS launched ETCEP in southern New Hampshire. The response to the initial program was so great that ETCEP was expanded nationally in the Spring of 1998.
Today, thousands of schools from all fifty states are participating and earning free technology equipment through this exciting program.