It was also a profit center for the garbage company. I pick up your garbage for say $10.00 per month. I pick up your garbage AND your recyclables for say $15.00. Then all the stuff goes to the land fill anyway.
That's pretty much how it works in the small towns around here. Everyone takes the time to separate their garbage, wash out jars and cans, separate cardboard and put it all in nice blue bins, then the garbage truck comes along and they chuck it all in the back and cart it off to the landfill. The only difference now is people have to pay for those blue bins and every garbage bag over 2. Garbage compactors sold good for a while though. A garbage bag went from weighing 5-10 lbs to 50 lbs.