Depends on the situation. Here in Merrimack, the landfill is full, so the trash has to be hauled to a more distant landfill at some per-pound rate. They divert significant quantities of paper, plastic, glass, steel, and aluminum from having to add to the weight of material that they have to pay to haul, instead selling it to interested buyers such as asphalt plants (glass), blanket manufacturers (plastic), and so on. Next door in Bedford, our transfer station pays *slightly less* to have the recycling items hauled away. I question if the overhead of maintaining a recyling center pays for the slight savings.