Homeowner baffled by neighbors' behavior after making discovery on shed roof: 'How did that even get there?'

A Redditor took to the site to complain about their neighbors' baffling behavior with regard to balls lost atop their shed roof.

Posting to the r/Anticonsumption subreddit with the caption "Our neighbors just keep buying new balls instead of taking a ladder to get them back," they shared a picture of six plastic balls — and what appears to be a street sign — on top of their shed.

The scene perfectly embodies the disposable nature of most consumer goods. If something breaks or gets kicked onto the roof of a shed or gets a little old, it's easier to forget it exists or throw it away and replace it.

It may seem like a bit of a stretch, but these balls are a perfect example of planned obsolescence. While it primarily refers to electronics or appliances, planned obsolescence involves designing products that won't last to force you to buy new ones. Researchers have been working to reduce the amount of planned obsolescence in tech, but it's an uphill battle, as companies try to make as much money as possible off of people replacing goods that should last much longer.

These balls are cheaply made and sold for very little, so if they get lost, start to roll funny, or break, they're easy to replace.

However, this creates an issue when they end up in a landfill or even on top of a roof. Because of the material they're made from, these balls don't break down into their base chemicals for centuries and could leach toxic chemicals into the soil around them as they age and degrade.

Commenters were incensed by the neighbors' laziness.

"I'd be turning up to their door with a ladder," one said. "I'm hoping they don't own one and aren't just being lazy."

Others were quick to note to traffic sign up there as well.

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"Why is there a street sign up there?" one asked. Another replied, "Yeah wait wtf how did that even get there."

"Do they know the balls are ending up there?" asked another. "Their roof also needs a general clean out because of the fire hazard from the leaves."

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