A gardening enthusiast enlisted the help of their friend to prevent a small mountain of plants in plastic pots from ending up in landfills, revealing just how much unnecessary waste home improvement giants such as Home Depot can create.Â
What’s happening?
In r/Anticonsumption, a Reddit user shared a photo of the upsettingly large mound of discarded plants, which they said were from Home Depot and “all mostly healthy and perfectly fine.”
Photo Credit: Reddit
Photo Credit: Reddit
The Redditor explained that they allowed their friend to use their property as a temporary staging area to rescue and distribute the plants to the community for free.
“This is the first time I’ve been involved,” they wrote when responding to questions about how their friend managed to secure such a haul, adding: “She said she has connections with people. We aren’t supposed to drop names since they’ll get in trouble.”
They continued, “I love helping [her] with this kind of stuff!”   Â
Why is this important?
Other Redditors didn’t hold back their disdain for the waste. For one, when organic plant matter dies and breaks down — as would almost certainly be the case if the plants ended up at a dump — it can release potent gases such as methane, which contributes to Earth’s overheating.
“This absolutely enrages me,” one commenter wrote. “Compost it at least.”
In addition to reducing methane pollution from landfills, composting recycles organic materials into valuable, nutrient-rich fertilizer. As the Environmental Protection Agency notes, community composting initiatives can also benefit the economy by creating green jobs.
Another commenter was more outraged by the plastic — a dirty fuel-derived material that can take generations to break down and leaches toxins into our soil and water in the process.
“The sickest part of this is all the PLASTIC waste,” they said. “At least the plants go back to the earth. Plastic does not.”
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Is Home Depot doing anything about this?
Home Depot is no stranger to criticism over excessive plant waste, suggesting that it may be able to refine its supply chain practices or launch new initiatives to limit this issue.
However, the company has taken significant action to slash carbon pollution, conserve water, and reduce plastic waste, including optimizing routes to decrease fuel consumption, installing toilets with low-water flush options, and prioritizing biodegradable or recyclable packaging materials.
Home Depot also encourages consumers to adopt equipment that saves money while helping the planet by reducing emissions, such as energy-efficient appliances and smart thermostats.Â
What can be done to reduce waste more broadly?
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to reducing waste, but there are plenty of ways you can get started. One Redditor shared that they shop at smaller, family-owned greenhouses with less inventory, while another suggested that a rewilded yard pays major dividends.
“If you buy native plants, they will almost all either return, spread through runners, or re-seed themselves year after year. And you are helping the pollinators and wildlife,” they said.
You can also forgo plastic products as much as possible, swapping your single-use plastic razor for a durable metal option and choosing dissolvable dishwasher and laundry pods, among other things.
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