A New York City drugstore made one woman's naughty list after trashing hundreds of dollars' worth of Christmas merchandise.
"So this is Christmas. And what have you done," Anna Sacks (@thetrashwalker) wrote in the caption of her illuminating TikTok.
What's happening?
Sacks is a waste expert who raises awareness about corporate and residential waste. She also encourages businesses and consumers to adopt more sustainable habits. Last January, she served up a reminder about the importance of reusing and donating during the holidays.
In a TikTok with nearly 3,000 likes, she reveals over $1,000 worth of overproduced Christmas products she recovered from the trash, including "adorable" cards that appear to be handmade. She explained she would gift some items to her loved ones and donate others to a nonprofit.
@thetrashwalker So this is Christmas / And what have you done #nyc #donate #donatedontdump #dumpsterdiving #haul #christmas #shopping #recycle #xmas #hallmark #reuse #thrift #decor #free #zerowaste #eco #sustainable #ecofriendly #holiday #holidays #winter #CapCut ♬ Debussy "Arabesque No. 1" - picarico
"This makes me so sad — these things are so beautiful," one commenter said.
"The way my jaw dropped," another added.
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Why is this important?
As Sacks pointed out, "a lot of resources" went into making the intricate Christmas cards, including trees, fabric, time, and labor — and this waste came from only one NYC drugstore.
Given the immense scale of holiday waste, determining the global total is challenging.
However, the UK's Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs estimated that the UK alone discards around one billion Christmas cards (the equivalent of 33 million trees) and cuts down 50,000 trees to make wrapping paper every year.
Taking this into account and the fact that many items come in plastic wrapping, if they aren't made from plastic themselves, it's easy to see how holiday waste can compound and contribute to deforestation, biodiversity loss, and toxic environmental contamination — not to mention sunk costs for businesses and higher prices for consumers on the back end.
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Definitely 👍 Why would a retailer discard Christmas items?
Supply-chain disruptions may result in a retailer getting a product too late to meaningfully move it — an issue exacerbated by the effects of a warming climate — while insufficient storage space, shifting trends, and liability concerns are some factors that influence overstock handling.
"Why can't they just do a super clearance???" one TikToker wondered. "People love to get discounts and it doesn't end up in landfills then!"
"False scarcity to keep prices up," one person speculated.
"Because they make more writing it off for taxes," another suggested.
What can I do to limit holiday waste more broadly?
While overproduction and overconsumption are problems year-round, the winter holiday season is a particularly wasteful time. You can support a cleaner future by choosing plastic-free products and sustainable cards, and reusing decorations and wrapping paper.
If you want to add to your collection, consider thrifting, where you could score unique finds for cheap, like one lucky shopper who found stunning handblown glass ornaments for only $3.99.
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