[Fat Charlie]

Your recyclables do get sold. The few plastic jugs and glass bottles you leave on the curb every week aren't worth anyone's time, though. What you're paying for is the curbside pickup- and if you can find someone willing to take your money to sort for you, do it.

Landfill is a dirty word because once you fill it, you need to find somewhere else to do it. "Put a soccer field there" only works so many times. My town has a "transfer station" because they did that already. We can either pay to have everything the town throws out hauled somewhere and buried, or we can reduce that cost and actually get paid something for the recyclables.