You very well could be paid for your trash. Some junk haulers operate by simply collecting and disposing of your waste at the landfill, but this isn’t really cost-effective for them (nor for you). It’s also generally wasteful and bad for the environment, provided that some or all of the waste could be diverted from the landfill altogether. Economically, it often makes sense for junk haulers to keep their own operating costs low which allows them to offer you competitive rates. One way to do this is to recycle as much as possible. Electronic waste, organic waste, and scrap metal are all perfectly good examples of waste that can be recycled and even profitable. With the cost of landfill dumping going up steadily, the incentive to divert waste from landfills enables them to cut costs while simultaneously reducing the environmental effects of dumping waste into landfills. Junk hauling companies sometimes also resell or salvage waste in order to maximize profits and to keep their operating costs low. If something can’t be sold, it might be safe and sensible to donate to a charity, thereby helping those in need.