Renter stunned by wild scene in their apartment's mailroom: 'The aftermath of Cyber Monday'

Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals may be alluring, but it's easy to forget the extra price we pay for convenient online shopping: an onslaught of packaging waste. 

One post on the r/Anticonsumption subreddit, a forum dedicated to calling out wasteful practices and sharing ways to avoid them, showed the reality: piles upon piles of boxes and packages flooding their mailroom. 

"The aftermath of Cyber Monday in my apartment mail room," they captioned the picture of a room full of packages.  

The community's users were not happy to see the clutter of boxes, discussing how many were Amazon-branded packages and noting details like large orders of bottled water. 

"That's a lot of bags that won't get recycled anymore," one Redditor acknowledged.

Others suggested that some of these purchases may not be a product of overconsumption, as shoppers may be capitalizing on these opportunities to buy necessary items, used or refurbished products, or helpful gifts for their loved ones. 

In light of the discourse, this post is a great reminder of how we can introduce mindful consumption and proper recycling practices into our lives on a daily basis.  

Cardboard is a biodegradable material that can be recycled and repurposed into the circular economy. It also offers a variety of methods for reuse, especially yard work and gardening projects. 

By saving this packaging from going straight into the trash bin, we can all help cut down on the millions of tons of paper and cardboard that end up in landfills.

Even Amazon Prime members can make their purchases' deliveries more sustainable by selecting the Amazon Delivery Day option to reduce the amount of packaging used and drivers needed, cutting down on the online retailer's pollution and waste.

Some of the comments in the forum redirected the conversation to how cardboard boxes can be reused and recycled in planet-friendly ways, such as composting. 

"I look at cardboard and think [of] all the composting I could do," one user mentioned.

"And Amazon boxes are great for it. The tape can be composted and the cardboard is generally thin so it shreds well," another commenter replied.

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more, waste less, and help yourself while helping the planet.