Thrift stores are often known for taking just about any used items, but one store employee recently pointed out that this isn't always the case with a shocking photo of just a day's worth of discarded items.
The post appeared on the subreddit r/Anticonsumption and featured multiple photos of the leftover items that a thrift store couldn't or didn't want to keep. Items include furniture, pet carriers, holiday decorations, and more.
"All of this is just a day's worth of waste being thrown away at a Savers thrift store. The colossal amount of waste is sickening," the Redditor said in the caption.
It's easy to aim any negative feelings about the photos toward the thrift store — but one Reddit user made an important note.
In the comments, they mentioned that sometimes thrift stores get such a high volume of items that they don't physically have the space for them in the store. In that case, it's better to only keep the items that are likely to sell because that will clear space faster and allow for new items to come in sooner. In the long run, it makes sense but doesn't solve the issue of so many goods being thrown out.
It's also unknown how many of these items were old or broken — but some thrifters can still find uses for items by flipping and reselling them.
There isn't a magic solution, but you should keep visiting the thrift store to shop and donate your old belongings. Thrifting can save shoppers an average of $1,700 a year.
While you're there, it's helpful to keep an open mind about what you can fix yourself. See a shirt that you love, but it has a small hole? That could be the perfect opportunity to learn to sew.
Buying secondhand products also helps to keep items out of landfills.
A majority of products shown in the photos will take a long time to decompose. For example, a plain piece of plywood may take only a few years, but with aspects like dyes and glues, it will take a lot longer.
Comments on the post shared their feelings about the photo of items headed to the trash. "What's wrong with that stuff? It looks perfectly fine to me!" wrote one user. "That really sucks," said another.
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