Resident outraged after spotting local real estate agency's obnoxious advertising scheme: 'Actually ridiculous'

A Redditor in Sydney, Australia, is shaming a real estate agency for good reason. The posted photo shows how the agent's residential advertising creates light pollution for the homeowners across the street.

What looks like a quiet street at night is interrupted by a boldly lit-up sign, making it hard for anyone without blackout curtains nearby to sleep.

"I feel bad for the neighbours. I'll name and shame, it's McGrath," the original poster wrote.

Someone commented in agreement: "Obtrusive, obnoxious, waste of resources, and making the neighbourhood mad - how many people are house-hunting after dark to make this worthwhile, McGrath?"

"A brick should fix that," quipped another.

While selling a home requires ads like signs, how the agency handled the situation shows how invasive advertising is becoming. From not being able to watch a YouTube video without constant pop-ups to signs covering train windows, it's getting harder to escape the ads that encourage more consumption. 

In this case, the sign itself is overconsuming electricity and causing an ongoing problem plaguing more and more urban environments — light pollution. 

"I had this before, and it was actually ridiculous," a commenter remarked. "Was close to doing something about it, but luckily it sold beforehand."

A similar case in London involved an insurance company using 400 drones to light up the sky by forming a QR code.

As people are encouraged to constantly buy more and more goods, two issues are created: more production of items to meet demand and, eventually, more trash in already crowded landfills.

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Most production processes and the breakdown of trash in landfills create more carbon and methane emissions that trap heat, causing rising global temperatures. As a result, 2024 was the hottest year on record since 1850, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

Luckily, many consumers are ignoring these constant ads and mitigating harm to the planet by reusing items or not buying anything at all. Thanks to "Buy Nothing" groups, people can trade items and services with community members through an app.

Thrifting has also given life to many secondhand items. From furniture to clothing, savvy thrifters have saved money and prevented good items from wasting away in landfills.

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