Is recycling working or is it just lining the pockets of someone?

Wife and I have been staunch supporters of recycling. We have not made it into “green” yet. We want to see what is happening with recycling. And, what we see so far, is not much. The trash guys pick up our green recycling can once a month, but, we have yet to be informed as to what happens to the collected recylables and its money. Question: is recycling just a gimmick? Is anyone accountable for the money gained from recycled trash? And, where does the money go from donated recylabled products?