Walmart employee sparks outrage with post about store's infuriating policy: 'I hate to see it'

Many retailers, such as Home Depot, Lowe's, and Walmart, have been criticized for tossing perfectly healthy unsold plants into dumpsters. 

Now, Walmart has come under fire again after an employee discovered its wasteful policy against giving away plants that need a little TLC to thrive. 

What's happening?

In the r/Walmart subreddit, the employee shared a photo of at least two dozen potted plants that looked wilted but still salvageable. They had been loaded into carts and were headed for the trash. 

"Being forced to throw these plants away, told not to give to customers who can revive them," the poster explained. 

They may have been neglected because there weren't enough employees to properly care for them, as the OP said in a comment that scheduling issues often made the garden center a low priority. However, it seemed like there was an easy solution if customers wanted to give the plants a second life. 

"It all comes down to money, and it's incredibly wasteful. I hate to see it. However, the best option is to just let customers take it but due to who owns the product that's easier said than done," one commenter said. 

"Kinda like how books get thrown away when they don't sell instead of donating them to a library. It's all about the greed," another shared. 

A former Walmart employee expressed disappointment with the store's plant policy, writing: "I worked in the garden center a few years ago. I legit threw away hundreds of plants. Once, we had too many plants, and someone higher up was coming the next day. They didn't want it to look cluttered, so I had to throw away dozens of perfectly good plants. It was ridiculous."

Why does plant waste matter?

Plants require energy and resources, such as seeds, water, soil, and labor, to grow. When stores throw them away, all those resources go to waste, and the decaying matter contributes to planet-warming pollution by releasing methane in landfills. Plus, when retailers get rid of plants, they have to raise prices to cover the losses, so customers pay more for the same products.

Should grocery stores donate food that's past its sell-by date? Yes — as long as it's not bad 🤢 Yes — but only certain foods 🥫 Only if it doesn't cost the store 💸 No — it could lead to problems 👎 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

If customers are allowed to bring struggling plants home, they can prevent landfills from overflowing and contribute to a healthier planet in their own backyards — especially if they're native plants. Even composting the potting soil and plants to create organic fertilizer would be an improvement over sending them to a landfill. 

Is Walmart doing anything about this?

Walmart's website shows that it's working toward zero waste in its operations and has made notable progress. "As of 2020, we've diverted 81% of waste from landfill and incineration," it says. 

It's unclear if this covers wasted plants, but since Walmart has started turning its food waste into compost, this seems like a viable option for unsold plants as well. 

Walmart doesn't appear to have a companywide policy on what employees should do with unsold or decaying plants. The decision may be left to the discretion of store managers.

What's being done about plant waste more broadly?

If you're shopping at Walmart or anywhere else that sells plants, it doesn't hurt to ask if you can buy unwanted plants at a discount. Some stores, such as Lowe's, mark wilted plants for clearance, and you can easily revive them with a little sunlight, water, and love.

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