A belt clip designed to carry a single donut hole at your hip. That's a real product sitting on store shelves right now, and Reddit users have some thoughts about it.

What's happening?

A shopper shared a photo on the r/Anticonsumption subreddit showing a "Donut Hole Holster" from TechXMaxx. The tagline reads "Snacks as close as your belt!"

The original poster didn't hold back, writing, "Seriously? Why is this a thing? This has got to be the dumbest waste of plastic I've ever seen. There are so many better options for a gag gift, like chocolate in a funny shape. This thing is destined for a landfill. Makes me sad…"

Other users shared similar frustrations.

"My ex-in laws would all give each other a bunch of gag gifts every year," one commenter wrote. "Crap like this and worse," 

Another admitted, "It took years to convince my family to stop buying me cheap plastic junk."

One user summed it up perfectly, writing, "The existence of gag gifts is kind of a consumerist nightmare when you think about it."

Why are gag gifts concerning?

Products like this are part of a larger pattern of novelty items designed for a quick laugh before their inevitable trip to the landfill. 

According to Ballard Bear, about 90% of toys sold today contain plastic. A study published in the journal Sustainable Production and Consumption estimated that 80% of toys end up discarded in incinerators, landfills, or the ocean.

Americans waste over $10 billion on unwanted presents each year, according to a Finder survey shared by the New York Post, with the average cost of an unwanted present sitting at $72. Most people who receive a gift they don't want just throw it in the garbage.

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That donut holster will likely outlive you, your children, and your grandchildren.

Is the company doing anything about this?

TechXMaxx and similar novelty manufacturers rarely publicize sustainability initiatives. The gag gift business model relies on impulse purchases and low production costs, often using virgin plastic and giving little thought to disposal.

Some larger toy companies have begun addressing their plastic footprint, but these efforts haven't reached the novelty gift market, where cheap production remains the priority. 

This particular product may simply be poorly conceived rather than evidence of a broader corporate strategy, but the fact that it made it to shelves suggests demand exists.

What can I do about wasteful gag gifts?

If you love giving joke gifts, edible options deliver the same punch without the plastic problem, such as fun-shaped candy and hot sauce with ridiculous labels. Everyone eats the evidence, and nothing sits in a drawer for six months.

To send a message, vote with your wallet. When you skip plastic novelty items at checkout, retailers notice. The donut hole holster might get a laugh, but it will get the last laugh when it's still sitting in a landfill centuries from now.

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