A Redditor came across the disappointing sight of an enormous dumpster outside a bookstore, sparking frustration from the book-loving community.
They posted a photo of the dumpster outside the storefront to the r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit, explaining, "Bookstore closed and is throwing away all their inventory."
"I'm cryin," the original poster added.
Other Redditors were similarly upset, with one person writing, "What a waste."
Someone else asked why the books weren't donated, and the OP speculated that the town's remoteness had something to do with it. "I will say that the local free book cupboard is absolutely packed. It seems they tried their best, but with so many books it's hard to get rid of them all," they wrote.
Barnes & Noble came under fire a few years ago for throwing away excess inventory, destroying it in the process to make it unreadable. According to the Chicago Review of Books, 160,000 truckloads of unread books, requiring the use of 10 million trees, end up as waste every year. Paper accounts for 26% of landfill waste worldwide, emitting methane as it breaks down.
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Thankfully, there are ways to reduce this waste and support reading and education. PaperBackSwap lets you trade old books for new ones through its exchange program. And there's always your local library, which offers more than books and can save you thousands of dollars a year. If you want to cut out paper entirely, consider the Libby app, which connects you with your local library, sets you up with a card, and lets you check out books and audiobooks like you would in person.
Redditors in the comments had one other suggestion for rescuing the books from the landfill.
"You're not reading between the lines here. Giant uncovered dumpster?? Don't mind if you do. You're welcome," someone wrote, encouraging a little dumpster diving.
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