Olddude is correct. eBay was really one of the major springboards for e-scrap along with the huge jumps in the price of gold. I myself found out about e-scrap almost 5 years ago before it was illegal to throw away electronics and I did by searching eBay. Things are a bit different right now since states are passing laws regulating e-waste in many forms.
And yes, many companies still charge fees for disposal of electronics. The reason why is simple....Because they can. E-waste has been labeled as toxic and therefore dangerous and with that companies see an opportunity to charge because there is no other way to get rid of the material. So it is a golden opportunity for those that want to get in the game. By not charging and simply accepting the items for free there is plenty of money to be made if the person is willing to do the hard work.
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