Dumpster diver photographs items found in 'overflowing' bins outside local Walgreens: 'Be careful'

Some folks walk past a dumpster without a second glance. Others? They know those big metal boxes occasionally cough up the kind of haul that would make your weekly grocery shopping blush.

One Reddit user proved that point with a post that's getting plenty of attention online — and for good reason.

Shared in the r/DumpsterDiving subreddit, the post shows four photos of items the driver pulled from an "overflowing" bin behind a local Walgreens.

Inside the bags were unopened snacks, name-brand cookies, crackers, baby formula, vitamins, personal care essentials, and over-the-counter medications. In today's economy, that lineup is basically the equivalent of finding buried treasure. They only had space for four bags because the trunk of their car was full. Yet, even that small grab turned out to be a pretty impressive mix.

Commenters were quick to praise the rescue effort and the scale of the recovery.

"Thank you for saving food waste," one user wrote.

"You hit the goldmine with those gluten-free Oreos!" another joked. 

Mixed in with the excitement, a retail worker offered a heads-up since stores toss items for all kinds of reasons.

"I don't want to discourage people from dumpster diving, but be careful," they cautioned. The commenter went on to explain that their store sometimes throws away packaged food because staff find mouse or rat droppings near them. 

Seeing a haul like this drives home how often businesses throw out items that could have gone to a more useful purpose. Not everything in a dumpster is safe to reclaim — especially food — but when items are still good, waste on this scale represents lost resources, unnecessary pollution, and missed chances to help people who need essentials.

Would you be more likely to shop at a store that paid you for your old stuff? Absolutely 💯 Only if they make it easy 😎 Depends on the store 🤔 Nope 👎 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Some stores have started tackling the problem by donating extra items before they spoil or sending them straight to local food banks and shelters. That's how an Arkansas food bank was able to save and distribute food from a Kroger store after a power outage, and it's also how a Trader Joe's location quickly donated its cold and frozen goods when its refrigeration went down.

When donation isn't an option, composting is often better for food than throwing it in the dumpster.

There are also solutions for non-food items. Habitat for Humanity's ReStore program accepts donations of everything from furniture and appliances to housewares, and Big Sky Recycling collects old phones and puts them to use by supporting soldiers.

This Redditor's haul might look like a lucky find, but it also highlights how much ends up in the trash that never had to be there in the first place.

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