A lucky Redditor landed a major score recently and shared the win with r/DumpsterDiving.
"Found a perfectly working laptop in a college living dumpster," wrote the original poster alongside some photos.
They were able to get in touch with the original owner thanks to an email address on the lock screen. After a brief correspondence, the old owner revealed that they had tried to donate the laptop, but the charity wouldn't take it due to superficial damage on the outside of it. They were quite pleased that someone was able to make use of the computer in the end.
E-waste is a massive issue. When left to landfill, it's some of the most toxic out there, leaching chemicals into the nearby soil and posing a health hazard for anyone dealing with it. Upstream, electronics production requires a lot of energy and generates plenty of atmospheric pollution, which in turn exacerbates destructive weather patterns.
Worse still, reports are suggesting the rate of electronics waste is increasing, and the combined environmental and human costs of e-waste amount to $78 billion annually.
While the original poster was able to combat those negative consequences by salvaging a completely functional laptop, secondhand markets tend to provide a more reliable stream for gently used electronics. Cell phones, cameras, and turntables are just some of the high-quality finds available to thrift shoppers.
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If push comes to shove and you need to throw out electronics, be sure to know your options for recycling, including opportunities for reuse.
Reddit commenters were supremely impressed by the original poster's find.
"Good find. and glad it made it to good hands," said one community member.
"It's hard to get rid of older laptops and PC's very few places won't take the older ones. Because I tried to sell some of my PC's and laptops and found very few takers," replied another user. "The only place that will them is the Goodwill store as a donation."
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