A dumpster diver on Reddit recently posted photos proving how incredibly wasteful their local dentist was during an office renovation.
Dumpster diving is legal in all 50 states and allows people to rescue food and other useful items that would otherwise take up space in a landfill. It saves dumpster divers money while reducing unnecessary waste. The practice has recently become more popular online, with many people sharing photos and videos of their biggest hauls.
In many cases, a large find in a dumpster is an event to celebrate, since the dumpster diver is getting something good for free. But sometimes, the waste is frustrating or even just plain depressing.
This time, it was the latter. "Found on our dumpster diving route at a local dentist that's renovating," said the Redditor, attaching two photos of a dumpster full of laminate flooring. The flooring was still in unopened, shrink-wrapped packages, and the dumpster was so full that the lid wouldn't close.
"Leftover flooring from a renovation? Just throw it away," said the bitter Redditor.
According to the BBC, construction creates roughly one-third of the waste produced in one year around the globe. Tons upon tons of lumber, concrete, roofing tiles, insulation, and other construction materials make their way to landfills every day.
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Even so, throwing out completely new, untouched materials is bizarre. "That's like $50+ a box," one Redditor pointed out. "The contractors could have just returned it and pocketed the money. Not sure who in their right mind would throw that all away."
"Habitat for Humanity could use that," said another user. "Darn shameful it will be landfill filler."
Besides wasting money for the contractor and depriving individuals in need of potential housing, throwing away new materials is bad for the environment. It means that communities need to devote even more space to landfills, and it wastes all the resources and energy that went into making and transporting the items. Replacing them means more pollution due to manufacturing and shipping, which heats up the planet faster.
Thanks to the original poster, though, this one dumpster full of material won't go to waste. "Oh yeah. I'm taking 100% of that and I don't care who sees me," said a commenter.
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"I had a truck driver cheering me on as I loaded it into my truck," replied the original poster.
"Not sure who in their right mind would throw that all away," another commenter wrote.
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