When first starting out with a dynasty or legacy, funds are tight. If, however, you bring a few sims to the household, it's not so bad. The nanocan seems to give you §10 back per person per trash item. So if you have 8 sims in your household, and you throw something away, you can get §80 back. Now lets think about a party sized serving of food. You could get up to *§720 back per party serving, for not much work. Later on of course, there are much more profitable ways to make money, but when you first start out and are strapped for cash, finding a middle ground with the number of sims in your household and the initial cost of the trash can, you can make enough money to get off the ground just a little faster. Alternatively, just grab free servings of cereal out of the fridge and then trash them!
*including the empty plate when all 8 serves are gone