A Reddit post is striking a nerve after a dumpster diver described watching a thrift store throw away "hundreds" of donated pieces of glassware, porcelain, and other delicate items.

In the post, the original poster wrote: "Today as I was dumpster diving at a thrift store to recycle metal, I witnessed staff dump hundreds of champagne flutes and drinking glasses into the trash and turn them to dust." They shared an image of what they saw.

"I watched bin after bin of them get tipped in, smashing almost all of them. This picture was only after a few bins of glasses, there were far more," they said.

The poster argued that plain, clear glassware and basic porcelain often have little resale value in secondhand stores, even when they are still functional. "The reality is that clear glassware and basic porcelain is not desirable, and the vast majority, regardless of condition, ends up in landfill."

"I wish people would be more mindful of this when deciding to purchase glasses," the OP added.

In the comments, some readers were surprised by the reality of donating items. Others were angry at how many usable household goods are still treated like waste.

"Everybody loves free stuff on the curb. I put a bunch of things curbside during my last move, mostly items not quite good enough to donate but still useful. Everything went," one person commented.

"Donation sites are just becoming a 'guilt-free' way to dump your overconsumptive trash on someone else," another lamented.

The donation economy has a less visible side. Giving something away does not guarantee it will be reused. When stores are overloaded with low-demand items, those donations can still end up in landfills.

Making, shipping, sorting, and then discarding products all consume energy, materials, and labor. Even when an item seems harmless, such as a basic drinking glass, that waste adds up quickly when multiplied at scale.

Some commenters said thrifted dishes and glassware can still be useful, while others pushed back on the idea that simple at-home lead tests are enough to confirm safety, especially for ceramics and glassware.

Commenters repeatedly pointed to one simple solution: Give usable items away directly before donating them. 

"It's a pain in the butt compared to dumping things at donation in one go, but chuck them on marketplace/gumtree/in a box out the front that says 'free' and hopefully they'll go straight to a person who will use them," one person recommended.

Several people also said thrift stores could do more. A modest "free" section for slow-moving but usable goods could keep items out of dumpsters while also bringing more people through the door.

Buying less disposable eventware and avoiding personalized products with limited secondhand appeal can make reuse more likely. Choosing durable, versatile household items can also improve the odds that they will be reused.

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