Do you get the big picture in the business

Up until a couple weeks ago I hadn't compensated anyone for the items I was receiving. Most places I pickup from one of the hotels my management company owns, or family/friends, or the few locations our family business operates out of. I tried to offer all of my contacts a few dollars here and there, but all of them originally said they were happy with me just getting the stuff out of their way. Although I have been receiving a large amount of scrap from these locations (large to me) I have also noticed the surprise when they continue to find out more and more items I accept. I decided to force a payment onto a few of my main contacts recently... not a lot.. just $50 each, but to get them to take it I basically had to leave it on the ground and walk away. I told them how much I appreciate them contacting me, and how I appreciate them taking the time to store these items and calling me when I know its easier to just throw things away. I can tell you with 100% confidence that this has made an impact on the amount of calls I am now getting, and also the texts/calls asking "do you want xxx item?"