While the tides are starting to turn when it comes to companies throwing away perfectly good products, there's still a shocking amount of waste in the business world.
That's because destroying products is usually cheaper and easier than donating them to charities or discounting them. Businesses naturally want to keep prices high, and it can eat into their profits if they give too much away.
One dumpster diver took to Reddit to share their frustrations about these policies that are often harmful to people and the environment.
What's happening?
"It should be illegal for companies to destroy product," they wrote in the r/DumpsterDiving subreddit. "Especially when so many veterans, homeless, foster kids, and domestic violence shelters are in need. It's disgusting."
Many users shared the sentiment, with some witnessing first-hand the incredible waste businesses generate behind the scenes.
"I work retail and we have to destroy some perishable items to stop people from using recalled or expired goods," one commenter wrote.
Unfortunately, a former retail worker said that happened regularly at their old job: "When I was working for Sears, they did that all the time. They would especially destroy customer returns.
They would destroy perfectly usable workout equipment, clothes," they shared.
Throwing away moldy or expired food is one thing, but tossing returns or unsold non-perishable retail items is unnecessary, especially when charities and other organizations would gladly take them.
Why is business waste concerning?
When companies toss unwanted or unused products, it has a cascading effect. All the raw materials, time, energy, and labor that went into making the items are wasted, and companies must charge more to offset the loss. Those higher prices then get passed on to the consumer.
Plus, goods that are thrown out instead of donated often wind up in landfills, which are already overflowing with waste — the U.S. landfilled over 146 million tons of trash in 2018. When items decompose in landfills, they produce planet-warming gases such as methane and can leach harmful chemicals into the environment.
Are companies doing anything about this?
Even though there's still a lot of work to be done surrounding business waste, numerous companies are making major strides to clean up their act. For example, Walmart recently announced it will team up with organic materials recycler Denali to reduce food waste across its stores. Albertsons has partnered with nonprofits and apps like Too Good To Go to get its excess food into the right hands.
Meanwhile, the U.K. retailer Marks & Spencer launched a repair service to prolong the life of its clothing and reduce its impact on the planet.
What's being done about business waste more broadly?
If dumpster diving isn't your thing, you'll be happy to know that you can still get great deals on items through trade-in programs, such as those offered by Target and Best Buy. Depending on the condition of your old electronics, you can get cash back or store credit. If the items aren't salvageable, they'll be recycled properly, helping keep e-waste out of landfills.
Other great ways to reduce waste include buying reusable grocery bags or water bottles, shopping at thrift stores instead of fast fashion outlets, and composting food scraps. No matter how small, every positive action helps contribute to a cooler, cleaner future.
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