They actually do that in a closed landfill in Danbury Ct. They collect a lot of methane off of that, and now companies want to mine the dump for metals and other things that in bulk, can be worth a lot. There is a metal recycling center that I bring scrap metal too, and the prices they give for aluminum are crazy. Way more than steel. If you separate it, like say, a lawn mower engine, you get much more. Copper is out of this world. I make a couple of $100 bucks on recycling every couple of weeks. I actively look for scrap and take stuff away for free. I am in the process of finishing a little trailer so I can start taking bigger things and use the trailer as a holding area for the scrap metal till I get a big enough load to make a delivery worth while.
That Airbus picture for a patent is real by the way. I found it in a news story.