Passerby shares photos of spooky discovery in dumpster behind local store: 'This is only a glimpse of what we found'

Scoring free Halloween decorations is always exciting, and believe it or not, many dumpster divers regularly find enough unwanted items outside local retailers to fill their entire trunks and save them from hours of shopping. 

However, there is a darker side to all the free stuff: Without people picking it up, it would almost certainly end up in a landfill. 

What happened?

In the r/DumpsterDiving subreddit, one passerby came across "an absolute mess of Halloween decorations," while scouring for valuable finds to bring home, as they wrote in the post. 

Several photos revealed they had a successful trip, snagging dozens of adorable decorations, including ghost and haunted house figurines, a skeleton mermaid, scarecrows, ghost stake lights, pumpkins, witches, and a spiderweb Halloween plate. 

"Got overwhelmed and stopped photographing half way through so this is only a glimpse of what we found," they added. 

Luckily, all of this was "saved from the landfill," as the original poster explained, so they were able to help the planet while scoring cute decorations for their home. 

Commenters seemed to agree, with one writing: "You found some really cute stuff! Those little figures make such a nice little table decoration!"

"That 'Fiji Mermaid' skeleton is brilliant!" another said. 

"To think such cute items would end up in a landfill. What a waste that would have been," someone else commented.

Why is retail waste concerning?

If the OP hadn't rescued these items, they would have most likely ended up in a landfill, and most landfills are already overflowing with retail waste. According to hazardous waste management company ACTenviro, at least 146 million tons of solid waste wind up in landfills each year, with about 82 million of that being discarded packaging and containers.

Which of these factors would most effectively motivate you to recycle old clothes and electronics? Giving me money back 💰 Letting me trade for new stuff 👕 Making it as easy as possible ⚡ Keeping my stuff out of landfills 🗑️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

On top of the packaging waste, 5 billion pounds of returned items from stores are dumped into landfills annually, even if the goods are still in decent condition, per The Verge. 

As these items decompose in landfills, they release harmful pollutants from plastics and other materials into the soil and waterways, along with potent planet-heating gases such as methane. If the items somehow make their way into the environment, they can contaminate water sources and threaten wildlife, especially marine animals, who often get entangled in pieces of plastic floating in the oceans. 

If companies don't take it upon themselves to recycle or donate unused or unsold goods, it will only add to growing waste management issues. 

Are companies doing anything about this?

Some major retailers, such as Walmart and Target, are known to discount seasonal goods before donating them or sending them to landfills. Also, thrift stores such as Goodwill usually accept costumes and decor that are in good condition. 

What else is being done about retail waste?

If you want to save money this Halloween while going easy on the planet, there are plenty of ways to celebrate sustainably. Buying secondhand costumes or searching community marketplaces, making DIY decor, donating unwanted pumpkins, and hosting a candy wrapper collection drive with the help of companies such as TerraCycle — which offers a box you can purchase to collect Halloween candy wrappers and recycle them — are all great ways to have an eco-friendly holiday.

Many of these are great ideas for our everyday lives as well. In general, reducing our consumption and our use of plastics can reduce the crowding in landfills and help the environment.

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.