Excessive consumption is a problem usually blamed on consumers, but a Reddit user's galling discovery at work was a reminder that companies are culprits, too.
What's happening?
Reddit's r/ThriftStoreHauls is typically where users unveil their most impressive secondhand buys, but users can also show off curbside finds.
One user hit the jackpot at their workplace, inadvertently highlighting a case of flagrant business waste.
"Saved these guys from the garbage at work," the original poster began, attaching three photographs of well over a dozen pristine stackable office chairs, all of which appeared to be Steelcase Max-Stacker III models in Kelly green.
Prices for the chair vary tremendously, but one basic black model currently sells for just under $250 — meaning the poster's find could be worth thousands of dollars.
"So I see these are like $240 each new … why would someone throw these out? They're indestructible," one user commented.
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"Because some companies don't give a s*** about responsibility and consumerism," another replied.
"It makes me very angry and even more upset to see them sending a lot of expensive furniture and electronics to dumpsters instead of selling it for cheap or donating to less fortunate individuals or organizations," they added.
"You can sit on them, literally and figuratively, until you find a buyer or a legitimate use for these. This is a good save," a third reasoned.
Why is business waste concerning?
Reddit users couldn't get past the sheer value of the furniture being wasted.
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Definitely 👍 The fact that it looked like a mid-sized company at most hinted at similar tragedies unfolding daily in dumpsters nationwide.
In late 2025, furniture remained one of the retail categories hardest hit by inflation, and seeing pricey chairs unceremoniously trashed was all the more aggravating.
Although the images were small, the Steelcase chairs appeared to be in pristine condition, suggesting companies find it easier to simply discard useful goods rather than donate them.
Environmental Protection Agency data indicates that over 12 million tons of furniture was landfilled in 2018 alone, and an estimated 10 million tons of office furniture in the U.S. meets the same fate every single year.
Are companies doing anything about this?
While the company in question wasn't identified, it didn't appear to be a massive corporation — but even small companies can make a big impact.
Other organizations making a difference include Habitat for Humanity, which accepts big furniture donations and even handles pickup.
Regionally, organizations like the New York City-based Big Reuse collaborate with individuals and organizations to divert goods like furniture from landfills.
"Already this year we have saved over 6,000 pieces of furniture and hundreds of dishwashers, ovens, refrigerators, and other appliances from going to [the] landfill," their website states.
There's a notion that businesses prefer to destroy rather than donate goods for fiscal reasons, but sustainability-focused Green Standards' unique brand of "sustainable decommissioning" put zero-waste principles into corporate parlance to overcome that objection.
"Your furniture has value. Our platform captures it," their landing page reads.
What's being done about business waste more broadly?
The responsibility of reducing business waste rests with companies, but consumers can intervene, as the original poster did.
When done safely, dumpster diving is a way for individuals to divert waste and reclaim food and non-perishables alike, as is thrifting.
A basic call-out like the original poster's can help, and supporting green initiatives from mainstream brands encourages corporations to pursue sustainable shoppers' business.
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