Recycling Cost

While trying to dispose of some old paint cans and chemicals I found the prices to be somewhat unfair. I paid roughly 7 dollars to get rid of cans that cost less then the cost of disposal. This is stupid thinking, regular people first off don't want to spend more money then they need to, and the convenience of hiding such cans in garbage is much easier. The recycling center is a pay as you go system based on how much you bring, and it begs the question as to where my taxes are actually being put if I need to pay for proper disposal. Recycling only works when its free, the average person should not pay for such obvious hazardous materials to be disposed as it poses a threat to all.