During the holidays, stores stock a variety of themed seasonal products to catch the attention of excited or nostalgic shoppers. However, once the holiday passes, these novelties don't go into storage for next year. Instead, they go in the trash, generating a huge amount of waste each year. One dumpster diver showed the internet an example from their local TJ Maxx.
What's happening?
Instagram user Ella Rose (@glamourddive) posted a video showing the bags and bags of Christmas-themed toys and other merchandise that she found in a locked dumpster after the store cleared out its holiday inventory.
"I just pulled all of these bags out," she says in the video. "These are all full of Christmas and holiday stuff."
The video shows at least 10 large trash bags filled with pristine holiday items, including decorations, bath sets, toys, pet bedding, towels, blankets, and many other products in perfectly usable condition. Some of them are even brand-name items, such as Squishmallows toys.
"And luckily, they didn't destroy anything," Rose says, referring to a common practice by retailers that have items they don't think they can sell, but don't want anyone else to have them.
Why is holiday merchandise waste concerning?
It might not seem important whether a few toys end up in new homes or in the garbage; after all, toys are not necessities like food or warm winter clothing. However, a donation of items like these could make an incredible difference to struggling families who otherwise might not be able to provide gifts for their children during the holiday, so seeing them go to waste is tragic.
Meanwhile, many of these are made out of synthetic materials that are bad for the environment. When they end up in the landfill, they shed microplastics that pollute our soil and water.
Also, when items like these go in the trash, we are wasting all of the resources that went into their manufacture. The energy and water used to produce them, the labor and time of the workers, the materials used, and the clean air polluted by transporting them are all lost. When you consider the number of stores participating in the practice of throwing out unsold holiday merchandise, the impact is astronomical.
Is TJ Maxx doing anything about this?
TJ Maxx seems to be aware of the problem of waste and has practices in place to divert waste. However, it focuses on operational waste, which it says mostly consists of corrugated cardboard and single-use plastic — likely the shipping materials used to package its products. It does not seem to have a published policy for leftover products.
What can I do to reduce seasonal waste?
Many seasonal products are unnecessary novelties that inevitably lead to waste because manufacturers recklessly produce more than they will ever sell.
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When you see items that are not useful or wanted for the rest of the year and will lose their appeal after the holiday season, you can discourage manufacturers and retailers from offering those items by withholding your business. Instead, make your own holiday-themed items, ideally from recycled materials.
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