Christmas came early for one dumpster diver who found a large haul of unsold beauty goods in the trash of a retail store, as a TikTok video shows. 

@dumpster.diving91 I Found A HUGE Score While DUMPSTER DIVING At Reta t #dumpsters #dumpsterdiving #insane ♬ original sound - Dumpster Diving

"There's a ton of stuff in here. It looks like a bunch of skin care, hair care … it is loaded. I don't see anything wrong with a lot of the stuff," the creator (@dumpster.diving91) said as she picked up item after item, still new in their packaging. 

Every way the camera panned, there was a new pile of beauty or lifestyle products with few or no obvious defects. The diver sifted through lotion, hair spray, makeup palettes, accessories, as well as a brand new Adidas mini backpack. 

Also shown in the video were large bags of plastic, which may have come from the brand-new items alongside them. 

If retail stores throw away this many products, it begs the question: Why? 

On a post in the r/dumpsterdiving subreddit, one retail worker shared: "Lots of reasons: liability if they donate something that gets used past its expiration date and poisons someone, restricting supply to make sure the only way to get a thing is to buy it, brand image by limiting the product to only customers with the means to pay, and probably others I'm forgetting about. And stuff is usually destroyed when thrown out so that employees can't keep it to resell."

While these reasons are logical for corporations, throwing out massive piles of still-usable goods — including home decor, cleaning supplies, and fresh food — streamlines the flow of waste, accelerating the burden on landfills. Meanwhile, companies continue to produce items as quickly as they are thrown out. 

However, not all brands participate in this wasteful activity. 

In an exclusive interview with The Cool Down, chief sustainability and transformation officer Suzanne Long of Albertsons, one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States, discussed how the company approached reducing food waste by thinking about what we do at home. 

Dumpster diving is an effective method to divert still-usable goods from crowding landfills while allowing divers to snag great finds. To dumpster dive safely, wear cut-resistant gloves, cover yourself with thick or protective clothing, invest in a grabber tool or a step stool, and clean your hands and clothes thoroughly after a dive. 

What single change would make the biggest dent in your personal food waste? Not buying food I don't need 🧐 Freezing my food before it goes bad 🧊 Using my leftovers more effectively 🍲 Composting my food scraps 🌱 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Commenters were amazed at the creator's finds.

"This is amazing!!!!!" one said. 

"What do you do with this stuff?" another wondered.

Someone else asked, "Do you ever do giveaways?"

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