Hello! As someone that dumpster dives year-round and usually finds a SHIT TON of perfectly usable items thrown away after the holidays, please listen:
Christmas is over and now comes along the weeks of people returning and exchanging unwanted gifts at retailers. A lot of these stores cannot actaully put a lot of these items back out on the shelf, (especially seasonal items or holiday themed) for one reason or another. Returned brand new items end up in landfills.
This is not only horribly wasteful when good items could be used by people in need, but also insanely bad for the enviroment.
So please consider:
- Did you get insane amounts of those fluffy socks because they're like a default gift option? Donate your excess to a homeless or domestic violence saftey shelter.
- Did you recieve a gift that is pretty much a jab to your identity from that estranged family member of yours that still doesn't use the correct pronouns for you? Oh, and they wont give you or 'lost' the receipt? Donate it.
- Recieved those oddly named holiday themed lotions, perfumes and candles and can't stand the smell of them? These items most usually will not be put back on the shelf if returned and thrown away. Donate them. (Some charities may not accept them, some will. Check beforehand.)
- Did you get one of those holiday throw blankets that are marketed just for this time of the year even though you already have several? Donate it.
- I find tons of holiday themed clothing thrown away this time of year. Including ugly sweaters, hats/beanies, gloves, onesies, shoes, socks, ect. Perfectly fine items that are returned because people don't keep holiday themed stuff outside of holiday season. Regardless, they could be used by people who need warm clothing.
Electronics are not safe either. Perfectly working Items I have found in dumpsters in the past range from: a $300 roomba with the ticket saying it was returned because the customer didn't know how to work it (needed an app to control), not one but TWO tablets (Samsung and Kindle Fire) a working bluetooth speaker, ect. (Items that can not be donated I gave away.)
If you are not going to regift unwanted gifts and you are certain you are not going to use it, please consider donating it (or make a post and just give it away or sell the thing yourself.) You can go get $15 worth of store credit if you return the thing, but it's usually going straight to the trash afterwards.
Unfortunatly, stores like to try and destroy items they throw away as well. On lucky days, I find items that are still in their original package. Other times I find perfectly usuable items destroyed by spray paint or box cutters.
(ALSO this is not a post shaming people who return gifts for money to pay bills/buy food/basically survive. That is a completely different situation.)
Please research the places you donate to before doing so. Do not donate to the Salvation Army (despite them trying to do reputation control, they're still blatantly anti-LGBTQ) If you are a dumpster diver, remember to sanitize the items you find and let the organizations know where you recieved the items.
That's it. Thanks for coming to my soapbox!
