The recycler in question wasn't this company, was it?

http://www.recycleapc.com/

Parent company homepage here

Looks like they host collection events... and actually, never mind, it was these guys, wasn't it?:

Upcoming Collection Events

DATE TIME LOCATION

07/18/09 9am – 3pm Lexington High School, XXXX St., Lexington, MA XXXXX

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It looks like that, yeah, they *do* have some sort of contract with Apple. However, reading between the lines on their website I wonder if this is the real reason they wouldn't let you walk off with a load of machines:

"... Reselling data storage devices or erasing data may seem economical but it is risky business when valuable information can be retrieved. At Metech, all information storage devices, including hard disks, flash drives, memory, media and documentation, are physically destroyed beyond recovery. Our process ensures that your sensitive information is secure and cannot be retrieved by anyone."

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On top of that several states have passed laws regulating how recycling companies handle computers in an attempt to combat identity theft crimes. (And in other locations, electronics dropped off at collection sites magically becomes "hazardous materials" as soon as it leaves their owner's hands, so the only people authorized to handle them after that are companies that have the appropriate salvage licenses.) So, really, it may *not* have been legal for that guy to let you take *anything*. Were there people walking off with *non-Apple* hardware (particularly items likely to have hard disks) and getting away with it?