The self-proclaimed Dumpster Dive King (@dumpsterdiveking) recently posted a video of himself recovering a range of Easter and Valentine's goodies, though the store didn't make it easy.
Not only did the King encounter a lock on the dumpster right off the bat, but nearly everything inside was spray-painted. He guessed that the store did this before tossing everything so the items weren't returned for cash. It also makes finding a second life for these items more difficult. The Dumpster Dive King walked away with several decorative bunnies with price tags of $50 or more each.
@dumpsterdiveking Employees destroyed everything with red spray paint and hid it in the dumpster!! Can I fix them? #dumpsterdiving #sad #fyp #bunny ♬ Countless - Official Sound Studio
The King mentioned in his video that he had negative interactions with the store owner when dumpster diving there previously. It's worth highlighting that there are plenty of security precautions you can take while dumpster diving.
Sadly, the practice of retail businesses destroying unsold goods is relatively common. This is especially tragic for items like these, since they'll likely just shed microplastics, which, once they get out into oceans, will likely be ingested by the fish we catch. When humans eat those fish, the microplastics in them pose immune, endocrine, and reproductive health risks, according to scientific studies. And plastic manufacturing has its own host of ecological costs.
Some companies have been able to make entire business models around preventing this fate by rescuing items that are otherwise headed to the trash. This includes food items being sold at a discount via services like Too Good To Go, Flashfood, and Misfits Market. Meanwhile, Trashie, ThredUp, and GotSneakers are trying to catch clothing before it goes to landfills.
Dumpster Dive King's followers were frustrated to see so many useful items needlessly spray-painted.
"The fact they could donate all this stuff to people in need," said one community member.
"Why can't these companies just donate the things they can't sell such a waste," said another.
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Should grocery stores donate food that's past its sell-by date?
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Yes — as long as it's not bad 🤢 
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