Another Green Mystery

Posted by Lorren on August 20, 2008

Recently, I wrote another post about how if we’re so concerned about the planet and being green, why do we buy junk that will wear out in a year? Why do we always buy the latest if we’re so concerned about the planet? Something I was talking to my husband about the other day reminded me of another green mystery…

If we’re so concerned about the planet, why do businesses throw away perfectly good and usable items?

My husband had the opportunity to work at Wal-Mart for a while, and other people that have worked in the retail industry have said the same thing… if something is not perfect… say, a box of cookies has a couple of broken cookies in it, bananas are getting a little too ripe for sale, or maybe a shoe is marred or something… they will not sell it. They will take the items and destroy them.

How does this help the environment? These companies are not only destroying something that other people could use, but they are adding to the trash in the world.

Wouldn’t a better way to deal with these things be to put them in a discount bin? Or donate to the poor? Food banks could use food that is getting close to expiration. Shelters could use clothing that might have a tear in it and is not suitable for retail sale. Plus you would get the tax discount, and the good will of the community. A discount bin could give a quick sale to those items that you needed to quickly get rid of, or imperfect clothing that nobody would pay full price for, but might be willing to pay for at a discount.

Of course, the producers of the items would have to agree to it… stores that do not sell the items get their money back when they destroy items that are not perfect. I don’t exactly know how the process works, but I’m sure something could be arranged.

The tons of waste that could be saved by selling or donating seconds would be tremendous… manufacturing a product takes energy, whether it is perfect or not. Destroying a product and trashing it takes up space in a landfill. Plus nobody gets the benefit of the item that was created in the first place. Doing this one thing would save a lot more energy than say… replacing your lightbulbs would.

If a product is harmful or poisonous, by all means destroy it. But the landfills are being filled with items that are slightly scratched or have small problems but are perfectly usable. I’m not sure why none of the Earth-friendly types have brought this up… wouldn’t this do wonders for the planet? Unless, of course, they have their own agenda and this really doesn’t fit into it.