BOISE - From the outside Western Recycling might not look like a gold mine, but for one woman scraping to get by it's the extra money she needs to make ends meet.

"One day this week I made 75 dollars on recycling," said Carolyn Houghton, an avid recycler.

Carolyn Houghton says she'll grab anything that will get her a little extra money.

Today, it's cardboard, but you'd be surprised to know what else she brings in, "I collect steel, aluminum, carpet pad, paper as we're going around we'll pick up anything we can find," Houghton said.

There are a lot of people in the Treasure Valley like Carolyn. They scour dumpsters and street curbs sidewalks and alleys, cashing in on other people's trash.

A lot of it ends up here at Western Recycling. A Boise Business that takes all the trash to turn a profit. Everything from glass to metal, magazines to cardboard.

"It's definitely been busy," said Tyler Dean, the manager of Western Recycling.

Western Recycling says more people than ever are making a little extra income by collecting recyclables.

"Everything seems to be going up with the cost of living and recycling is a good way to keep stuff out of the landfill and clean up the environment and it can make you some extra money," Dean said.

"Today, I made 17 dollars," That's how much Carolyn got for her cardboard.It doesn't sound like much, but Carolyn says every little bit helps.