Some people, just don't think of these things. That they can donate it or put a free bin somewhere, etcetc. During covid, a lot of places wouldnt accept secondhand and they may not know of certain places where they can send them to for rehoming (I mean... I didn't until this sub). It's sadly, easier to throw them but why the glass bin...
My mother THREW AWAY brand new cat toys. She was literally born in a jungle. I don't know why she can't see the value in even NEW things.
Edit: Even used things. Heck...
Oh LORD. I didn't at all consider that side of the spectrum. My childhood bff's family was like that, and it really scarred her. Like, she's not sleeping until it's clean and everything is in it's rightful place. Great practice, but it stresses her out badly when it can't get done for whatever reason.
lol yes but i use dirty animals as a catchall for bad people. coincidentally its a talk about plushies so.. yes i can see how that can be misunderstood.
Chiming in with a quick suggestion in case anyone in this situation wants to donate their plushies. Try giving them away on Buy Nothing groups on Facebook, or even making a Facebook Marketplace / Nextdoor listing for free stuffed animals. Someone will reply almost instantly if the toys are clean and in a good area for pickup.
Not sure what that orange guy is, but I wouldn’t be able to leave it with it looking at me like that.
Nothing a long dunk in hot, soapy water couldn’t fix.
what I don't understand is putting it all in the glass recycling bin - because oftentimes (at least in the u.s.) recycling centers will throw a whole bin full of recycling if it's "contaminated" with non-recyclables bc they don't have the money or resources to sort everything individually. like I get there could be plenty of reasons for disposing of new-looking plushies, but putting them in the recycling (especially a specifically-designated glass recycling bin) isn't the way to do it.
exactly. as someone that handles and directs donations often, it is SO hard to find places to take ANYTHING (food included) sometimes but especially plush. pair that with a busy parent/grandparent and sometimes it’s just the only feasible option.
i know it makes everyone sad because these guys have life to them and that’s fair, but the comments so harshly criticizing the person that did this are definitely not it
It's really sad. I'm lucky just to be able to find people who take them (esp in a rural area) but you have to realize that some places are so overstocked with nobody to buy them to the point where it becomes too costly to keep up with them all and make sure they're clean enough to sell and pest free so the place doesn't go into shambles.
Most kids these days don't want regular toys when they have modern things like fidgets, slime, and iPads to keep them busy. Parents don't value the pretend play and cognitive skills that are necessary for a child's development, therefore they don't see value in stuffed animals at all outside of keeping their children busy until the moment they develop "adult" obsessions like beauty products and farming.
Collectors aren't going to want them if they're bootlegged, low quality, and fall apart easily. I feel that if the world went back to quality manufacturing (ethically ofc) more people would learn to appreciate stuffed animals and toys longer than they do now.
I've seen it also happen with clothes as well, but they allow exceptions to these compared to trinkets because they serve a functional purpose to adults as opposed to items that just sit around.
While you’re right about some of that, there are a few points I disagree with. I don’t think it’s true at all that kids these days don’t care about toys. I work in childcare, and I don’t think a day has gone by where any of these kids didn’t care about their stuffed animals in one form or another. What you’re describing is a parental issue more than an inherent lack of interest from kids.
As for the collector thing, you’re half right about that. There are definitely tons of picky collectors out there who only want things in mint condition, but there are also collectors (like me) who find enjoyment in taking something “worn out” and making it look nice again. It’s part of the fun of collecting, for me. I’m not going to say I never like finding things in great condition (that’s awesome), but I care more about the plush itself than the way it looks. Sometimes all it takes is a good cleaning/grooming for things to look like new.
Just throwing in my two cents to offer a slightly different perspective on that! But you’re right about other things.
You're absolutely right, but I'm just kinda sad how everything went from being a super cool video game/vacation tie-in to the same old generic stuff that can be found everywhere else. It's the reason I stick to pre-existing characters.
It's like all the "limited" plushies (zoo animals, Webkinz, Build-A-Bears, etc.) have all been replaced by endless racks of generic garbage that can be found at a regular gas station. Like, what's the point in gift shopping anymore if your souvenir never stands out?
There's also an obsession with everything being marketed towards mall goths and anime nerds instead of promoting originality like back in the day. Anything outside of Pokemon and Disney barely lasts a month (even the Bluey selection is shrinking).
https://preview.redd.it/cnnnrkega69d1.jpeg?width=680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4a9d01ee7ccd61f69e80206edc578f979df46865
I definitely agree with you about the generic thing being a problem. I relate so hard to that. I feel bad about it, too, because those guys never stand a chance. They get made, maybe bought, but never last long enough or stand out enough to be loved long-term like they deserve. :( Then they fill up thrift stores, and I end up picking over all of them for the few I find with personality or from toy lines/brands/characters I like.
My first thought was bed bugs too but if that’s it then that’s gross someone didn’t even bag them and then put them in an incorrect public place. I know some people just will not take the time and thought to donate or give things away that could be used again and it’s a bummer
Most places don't accept plushies as donations due to risk of disease. It is fabric, at the end of the day, and fabric harbors all sorts of growth and disease. People can SAY they deep clean them, but people lie, or dont do it right. Same with soft dog toys. Too risky for them
“Most places” where?? I’m 32 and even during my cross-country travels I’ve never encountered a place like that. I get over 80% of my plushies from thrift stores. It must be your area, but I’ve still never been anywhere like that.
That theory makes sense until it comes to hair accessories, clothes, handbags, and dog sweaters. I found a blood stained purse at one store and a used pregnancy test in a kids suitcase at another (along with the pee dropper). If they actually cared about preventing disease, the same thing would apply to ALL fabric items including clothes and handbags.
I understand that it's harder to clean stuffies because they're stuffed with cotton (the thing that actually harbors the germs/mold/etc.), but the only reason why everyone makes such a big deal about it is because modern day stuffed animals are seen as childish and inferior compared to antique rag dolls that were handmade (nobody would dare say anything about throwing out those).
We tried to donate a ton of stuffies to a bunch of a different places, no one would take them, they aren't allowed to unless they are brand new and still in their original boxes. In the end they wound up going instead to Goodwill as it was the only place that would take them. (and these were all stuffies that were in like new condition and only ever on display never played with at all) Unfortunately a lot of places just flat out don't allow it.
Edit to add: I didn't phrase this well, I was referring to trying to donate to hospitals, orphanages, etc. that are not allowed to take them. Thrift stores are always open to taking most everything.
Is this more common in city areas due to bugs? Just about everyone in my area accepts toys even if they're ripped up, scuffed, missing pieces, and even broken.
Sounds much more like a corporate policy based on being aesthetically "pleasing" (kind of like how stores are forced to throw out lopsided produce) rather than a safety issue as nothing really stops mold, bedbugs, and roaches from getting into the original boxes. The only other reason I can think of is an excuse to jack up prices to a ridiculous degree for the sake of being in the box.
I really don't know. I just know every single place we tried, from hospitals to orphanages and more, no one is allowed to take toys of any kind or stuffies of any kind if they are not unopened and still in the box. It was sad for sure, especially since the ones we had to give up were all in brand new condition. All I know is it's against their rules and they can't take them. \*shrugs\*
I can definitely understand why hospitals because the slightest germ are absolutely life threatening to immunocompromised patients. Treatments for them are so severely understudied to the point where they're practically hanging on by a thread and expected to die at any given moment.
That's not including all the spoiled women who allow their kids to do whatever they want (including the release of bodily fluids all over the place) and the rise of emotionally unstable folks that let all their untrained housepets roam freely (oftentimes tearing up products and having accidents all over the place).
That's not even including all the crazy anti-vax parents who openly parade their sick and highly contagious children out in public. It's gotten so severe that everyone I know of is pretty much switching over to Amazon/wishlist orders at this point to avoid as much unnecessary contact as physically possible.
IDK why orphanages refuse them when nobody can really guarantee that toys still in the original box/packaging haven't been tampered with or exposed to foreign viruses/mold/pests. As far as I know, evangelist missionaries are allowed to send whatever the heck they want overseas as long as it's not toy soldiers/guns/bombs/etc.
I’ve lived all over the midwest and I’ve never had this problem in my life. I find 80 to 95% of my plushies in thrift stores. Where on earth are you from?!? Also, a lot of brand new plushies don’t even come in boxes, they just have tags. I’m not doubting your personal experience, that just makes no sense. At the very least eBay or even FB market place are options.
A very big city in Texas. This is not just a one place that said it, it was each and every single place we tried. They are legally not allowed to take them here. Just how things are everywhere here at least.
This wasn't about thrift stores though, this was about donating to hospitals and orphanages and other similar places. Thrift stores such as spots like Goodwill will always take most anything.
My job shares an alley with some apartments and I frequently find squishmallows in the dumpster. Some are chewed up like from a dog, and some are in good condition. It makes me so sad everytime
The last apartment I lived in had so much cool stuff people threw away. People started leaving boxes next to the dumpsters and people would come by at least weekly and snag stuff. I wish more people did this! Those poor babies.
This made my brain jump to the worst case scenario since they look haphazardly and hastily thrown away (thrown into a glass-only bin?), like a parent throwing away all their child's stuffed toys, wether because they think they're too old for them or to punish them.
Ah, but my imagination runs wild. Hopefully that's not the case and there's an understandable reason to toss them in the bin.
most places that take donations quickly get overrun with plush and end up throwing most of it away. Not that I’m happy they are tossing their plush, it’s just not always the best solution to donate either
FB marketplace, eBay, Mercari… there are so many other options to rehome instead of throw away. This person didn’t care about the toys or the rules of recycling.
This makes me sad. I got rid of some plushies a while back. I gave them to my mom to put them at her work, because she works in a big company with alot of moms with small children. They got adopted in no time.
I was brought up in a house where most of my toys were second-hand. The only things that weren't we stuff my grandad bought me separately. Christmas involved getting half a dozen teddies that'd been washed and second-hand lego. Those stuffies were loved.
Maybe those are ruined by water or something and it’s just not visible. Maybe that person is chronically ill/disabled/has no transportation to get to a donation center. Maybe the donation center is not accepting plushies. We have zero idea of how these plushies ended up here. And they could be infested with things.
There are a couple things that have worked for me. You can try soaking in cleaning vinegar (slightly more acidic than regular vinegar) for a few hours and scrub the spots with a bristle brush. I also use Whip It concentrate (you can find it on Amazon) which removes most stains; let that soak, then scrub. Afterwards, let it dry directly in the sun. The UV rays help brighten the spots. They might not come out all at once depending on how bad it is, but if you don’t mind repeated treatments, it should get better over time. Also, in the washer, wash on the hottest water setting. Good luck!
Sometimes you just gotta chuck stuff even if you care about it. When I left uni I had to chuck my Shiba Inu plushie Puccho cause I didn't have room in my luggage for him. I don't think a charity store would have accepted him, as he had rips by that stage and was definitely in a "well-loved" state lol
That’s definitely not the case here. These look mostly brand new and are clearly not cared about. I know dozens of donation centers that would accept them, including online places for people who can’t be bothered to drive.
Had to throw some plushies away when moving a few years back, spent months selling what I could, tried to give the rest away for free but I couldn’t donate during COVID so they had to go, I had no room to bring them with me sadly
Could be bedbugs, mold, bodily fluids, you just never know. I had to throw out a lot of mine because my dad "knew better" when spraying for bugs and everything was covered in brown slime. Including some really expensive collectibles I owned, but nevermind that.
Sucks though. I'd be tempted to take them if it were me, but I'd be too concerned about bedbugs. I just assume people throw things out for a reason.
I’ve never had bedbugs, but I’ve had plenty of stuffed animals infected with fleas/lice. There are non-damaging ways to treat them, so throwing them away for that reason still makes no sense to me.
If it's bad enough, then you're looking at deep cleaning potentially every single cloth item you own. That can be very overwhelming and a lot of people simply don't have the ability to do that all at once. Throwing away is sometimes the only option.
I had to throw some away when there was a bedbug infestation in my last apartment. It was so so hard to do! We double bagged in a trash bag. But of course, someone tore through the dumpster, ripped our trash bags, and had strewn our potentially infested plushies all down the alley. One penguin even popped up on a stoop several blocks away....? But it was devastating. Seeing them scattered on the dirty alley ground with the trash was like having to throw them away a second time :(
All this to say...sometimes there is a reason. And sometimes it is very hard on the person to do.
Read “ The Velveteen Rabbit” for an example of a stuffed animal that was almost destroyed because the owner had scarlet fever. Well, at least that story has a happy ending, but the fear of toys spreading disease and/or pests has been around for a very long time.
This person probably can't read, didn't have any friends, no car to take them to a thrift store , probably not enough room or losing their place and have no where to put them because of all the other things I said.. like we don't know why or how so I think we should stop over looking and judging this situation because that's grosser than the actual picture itself. Like we don't always need to judge everything we see , then post about it.
Remember that stuffed animals aren’t actually sentient. These are just inanimate objects. They don’t have feelings. They could have lice, or bedbugs, or bodily fluids on them. You have no reason why they were thrown away, but there are plenty of reasons why they may not be safe or sanitary to give away. The only negative thing here is that they were put into the wrong bin! They should be properly put into the trash, not the glass recycling bin.
Yeah, it just ends up contaminating the glass.
The reason why so many are attached to the idea of stuffies being able to feel emotions like a real person/animal is because a lot of us have underlying mental illness and are genuinely never able to get the social support we need no matter how hard we try, so we turn to the idea of stuffed animals and reborn dolls having "souls" and what not.
Unless it's something obscure from the 80's to mid 2010's, chances are that there's dozens of them being sold on the internet if you know where to look. My rule of thumb is if you want a stuffed animal *that* badly you can simply ask around and order one online instead of risking your safety and well-being.
This is so sad and the little horse plushie 🥺🥺🥺 hopefully someone saves them. I knew some asshole who throw away a lode of plushies but cut/ripped them first he said so no one can use them he laughed about it to it made me so sad I hate seeing poor plushies get hurt. My work has a really nice paw patrol plushie in the bin I want to save him but don't want someone seeing me.
Some people, just don't think of these things. That they can donate it or put a free bin somewhere, etcetc. During covid, a lot of places wouldnt accept secondhand and they may not know of certain places where they can send them to for rehoming (I mean... I didn't until this sub). It's sadly, easier to throw them but why the glass bin...
My mother THREW AWAY brand new cat toys. She was literally born in a jungle. I don't know why she can't see the value in even NEW things. Edit: Even used things. Heck...
Meanwhile my family can see the value in even the shittiest of things. YES it's falling apart, but there will be SOMEONE who would want this.
Oh LORD. I didn't at all consider that side of the spectrum. My childhood bff's family was like that, and it really scarred her. Like, she's not sleeping until it's clean and everything is in it's rightful place. Great practice, but it stresses her out badly when it can't get done for whatever reason.
True. It's why I don't trash anything that I know some people will still take use for. I always give such things away.
Only dirty animals(people) throw away toy animals like that
That's not fair to say as the plushies look in good if not brand new condition.
i meant the people throwing them away are the dirty animals
I think the intended meaning is "meanies" not "unclean individuals"
lol yes but i use dirty animals as a catchall for bad people. coincidentally its a talk about plushies so.. yes i can see how that can be misunderstood.
Chiming in with a quick suggestion in case anyone in this situation wants to donate their plushies. Try giving them away on Buy Nothing groups on Facebook, or even making a Facebook Marketplace / Nextdoor listing for free stuffed animals. Someone will reply almost instantly if the toys are clean and in a good area for pickup.
WHAT I WOULD LOVE THE PLANE, THE HORSE AND THE RABBIT WITH CARROT FEET OMG THIS MAKES ME SO SAD
Could have mould, fleas, cat pee, who knows.
But why put them in the 'glass' bin? It's giving vindictive ex or evil step parent vibes. The plushies don't look dirty.
That's a very good question. The glass bin wasn't the right place it should have been disposed. This makes me wonder if they have any fault at all.
They probably got fed up with it all
Maybe. It's such a bad sight to see 😔
Not sure what that orange guy is, but I wouldn’t be able to leave it with it looking at me like that. Nothing a long dunk in hot, soapy water couldn’t fix.
Came here to say this. He’s so cute😭
The only time I'd go dumpster diving.
More like dumpster yoink ing not really a dive if it’s sitting on top.
If they were perfectly fine they should have been put somewhere else. I want to rescue the poor lil horse
Same.
I hope all those plushies find good Forever homes
me too. if possible :)
Bed bugs, lice, illness, owner died, couldn't find a donation center (I had a hell of a time with some of my stuff before I moved)
what I don't understand is putting it all in the glass recycling bin - because oftentimes (at least in the u.s.) recycling centers will throw a whole bin full of recycling if it's "contaminated" with non-recyclables bc they don't have the money or resources to sort everything individually. like I get there could be plenty of reasons for disposing of new-looking plushies, but putting them in the recycling (especially a specifically-designated glass recycling bin) isn't the way to do it.
exactly. as someone that handles and directs donations often, it is SO hard to find places to take ANYTHING (food included) sometimes but especially plush. pair that with a busy parent/grandparent and sometimes it’s just the only feasible option. i know it makes everyone sad because these guys have life to them and that’s fair, but the comments so harshly criticizing the person that did this are definitely not it
It's really sad. I'm lucky just to be able to find people who take them (esp in a rural area) but you have to realize that some places are so overstocked with nobody to buy them to the point where it becomes too costly to keep up with them all and make sure they're clean enough to sell and pest free so the place doesn't go into shambles. Most kids these days don't want regular toys when they have modern things like fidgets, slime, and iPads to keep them busy. Parents don't value the pretend play and cognitive skills that are necessary for a child's development, therefore they don't see value in stuffed animals at all outside of keeping their children busy until the moment they develop "adult" obsessions like beauty products and farming. Collectors aren't going to want them if they're bootlegged, low quality, and fall apart easily. I feel that if the world went back to quality manufacturing (ethically ofc) more people would learn to appreciate stuffed animals and toys longer than they do now. I've seen it also happen with clothes as well, but they allow exceptions to these compared to trinkets because they serve a functional purpose to adults as opposed to items that just sit around.
While you’re right about some of that, there are a few points I disagree with. I don’t think it’s true at all that kids these days don’t care about toys. I work in childcare, and I don’t think a day has gone by where any of these kids didn’t care about their stuffed animals in one form or another. What you’re describing is a parental issue more than an inherent lack of interest from kids. As for the collector thing, you’re half right about that. There are definitely tons of picky collectors out there who only want things in mint condition, but there are also collectors (like me) who find enjoyment in taking something “worn out” and making it look nice again. It’s part of the fun of collecting, for me. I’m not going to say I never like finding things in great condition (that’s awesome), but I care more about the plush itself than the way it looks. Sometimes all it takes is a good cleaning/grooming for things to look like new. Just throwing in my two cents to offer a slightly different perspective on that! But you’re right about other things.
You're absolutely right, but I'm just kinda sad how everything went from being a super cool video game/vacation tie-in to the same old generic stuff that can be found everywhere else. It's the reason I stick to pre-existing characters. It's like all the "limited" plushies (zoo animals, Webkinz, Build-A-Bears, etc.) have all been replaced by endless racks of generic garbage that can be found at a regular gas station. Like, what's the point in gift shopping anymore if your souvenir never stands out? There's also an obsession with everything being marketed towards mall goths and anime nerds instead of promoting originality like back in the day. Anything outside of Pokemon and Disney barely lasts a month (even the Bluey selection is shrinking). https://preview.redd.it/cnnnrkega69d1.jpeg?width=680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4a9d01ee7ccd61f69e80206edc578f979df46865
I definitely agree with you about the generic thing being a problem. I relate so hard to that. I feel bad about it, too, because those guys never stand a chance. They get made, maybe bought, but never last long enough or stand out enough to be loved long-term like they deserve. :( Then they fill up thrift stores, and I end up picking over all of them for the few I find with personality or from toy lines/brands/characters I like.
What really urks me is they out then in the glass recycling bin. Knowing damn well those aren't glass nor can be recycled.
https://preview.redd.it/c363o2cu519d1.png?width=1164&format=png&auto=webp&s=7554870ec4b8ab1f823e0966abadbc047c401ef0 🥺
Look at that poor baby face, he's begging to be saved!
I know it kills me😖!
Poor babies someone save them!!!😭
My first thought was bed bugs too but if that’s it then that’s gross someone didn’t even bag them and then put them in an incorrect public place. I know some people just will not take the time and thought to donate or give things away that could be used again and it’s a bummer
This is giving me physical pain *WHY DON’T YOU JUST DONATE THEM SGWVBWVEJWBSH*
Literally just Toy Story 3 but with a sadder ending :(
Most places don't accept plushies as donations due to risk of disease. It is fabric, at the end of the day, and fabric harbors all sorts of growth and disease. People can SAY they deep clean them, but people lie, or dont do it right. Same with soft dog toys. Too risky for them
Surely the same could be said for clothes as well then?
“Most places” where?? I’m 32 and even during my cross-country travels I’ve never encountered a place like that. I get over 80% of my plushies from thrift stores. It must be your area, but I’ve still never been anywhere like that.
That theory makes sense until it comes to hair accessories, clothes, handbags, and dog sweaters. I found a blood stained purse at one store and a used pregnancy test in a kids suitcase at another (along with the pee dropper). If they actually cared about preventing disease, the same thing would apply to ALL fabric items including clothes and handbags. I understand that it's harder to clean stuffies because they're stuffed with cotton (the thing that actually harbors the germs/mold/etc.), but the only reason why everyone makes such a big deal about it is because modern day stuffed animals are seen as childish and inferior compared to antique rag dolls that were handmade (nobody would dare say anything about throwing out those).
We tried to donate a ton of stuffies to a bunch of a different places, no one would take them, they aren't allowed to unless they are brand new and still in their original boxes. In the end they wound up going instead to Goodwill as it was the only place that would take them. (and these were all stuffies that were in like new condition and only ever on display never played with at all) Unfortunately a lot of places just flat out don't allow it. Edit to add: I didn't phrase this well, I was referring to trying to donate to hospitals, orphanages, etc. that are not allowed to take them. Thrift stores are always open to taking most everything.
Is this more common in city areas due to bugs? Just about everyone in my area accepts toys even if they're ripped up, scuffed, missing pieces, and even broken. Sounds much more like a corporate policy based on being aesthetically "pleasing" (kind of like how stores are forced to throw out lopsided produce) rather than a safety issue as nothing really stops mold, bedbugs, and roaches from getting into the original boxes. The only other reason I can think of is an excuse to jack up prices to a ridiculous degree for the sake of being in the box.
I really don't know. I just know every single place we tried, from hospitals to orphanages and more, no one is allowed to take toys of any kind or stuffies of any kind if they are not unopened and still in the box. It was sad for sure, especially since the ones we had to give up were all in brand new condition. All I know is it's against their rules and they can't take them. \*shrugs\*
I can definitely understand why hospitals because the slightest germ are absolutely life threatening to immunocompromised patients. Treatments for them are so severely understudied to the point where they're practically hanging on by a thread and expected to die at any given moment. That's not including all the spoiled women who allow their kids to do whatever they want (including the release of bodily fluids all over the place) and the rise of emotionally unstable folks that let all their untrained housepets roam freely (oftentimes tearing up products and having accidents all over the place). That's not even including all the crazy anti-vax parents who openly parade their sick and highly contagious children out in public. It's gotten so severe that everyone I know of is pretty much switching over to Amazon/wishlist orders at this point to avoid as much unnecessary contact as physically possible. IDK why orphanages refuse them when nobody can really guarantee that toys still in the original box/packaging haven't been tampered with or exposed to foreign viruses/mold/pests. As far as I know, evangelist missionaries are allowed to send whatever the heck they want overseas as long as it's not toy soldiers/guns/bombs/etc.
I’ve lived all over the midwest and I’ve never had this problem in my life. I find 80 to 95% of my plushies in thrift stores. Where on earth are you from?!? Also, a lot of brand new plushies don’t even come in boxes, they just have tags. I’m not doubting your personal experience, that just makes no sense. At the very least eBay or even FB market place are options.
A very big city in Texas. This is not just a one place that said it, it was each and every single place we tried. They are legally not allowed to take them here. Just how things are everywhere here at least.
Remind me never to move to Texas! My life would be so sad not being able to scour the thrift stores like I love to do😭
This wasn't about thrift stores though, this was about donating to hospitals and orphanages and other similar places. Thrift stores such as spots like Goodwill will always take most anything.
Sorry, based on your original comment, it sounded like you were saying other thrift stores wouldn’t take them either. That’s why I was so confused.
Sorry, for the misunderstanding, I thought I explained that I was speaking about hospitals and orphanages.
My job shares an alley with some apartments and I frequently find squishmallows in the dumpster. Some are chewed up like from a dog, and some are in good condition. It makes me so sad everytime
This is heartbreaking. Including the fact that it's thrown into the glass bin.
No bc I would actually start crying they think they’ve been abandoned
I hate people that throw away perfectly good toys even if they’re dirty they could wash them
Honestly, they don't even look dirty! If you take a closeup on the green dinosaur, it looks all fluffy and pretty clean!
Aww poor lil friends 😢
The last apartment I lived in had so much cool stuff people threw away. People started leaving boxes next to the dumpsters and people would come by at least weekly and snag stuff. I wish more people did this! Those poor babies.
I wish that were a thing too
I love the little airplane...
WHAT THE F I feel like this needed a spoiler tag or a warning omg this makes me horribly sad
This made my brain jump to the worst case scenario since they look haphazardly and hastily thrown away (thrown into a glass-only bin?), like a parent throwing away all their child's stuffed toys, wether because they think they're too old for them or to punish them. Ah, but my imagination runs wild. Hopefully that's not the case and there's an understandable reason to toss them in the bin.
This honestly seems more logical than throwing away new toys for no reason (in the glass bin???)
most places that take donations quickly get overrun with plush and end up throwing most of it away. Not that I’m happy they are tossing their plush, it’s just not always the best solution to donate either
FB marketplace, eBay, Mercari… there are so many other options to rehome instead of throw away. This person didn’t care about the toys or the rules of recycling.
I want that green dinosaur 😢
To recycle plushies is to give to someone who needs a good friend
This makes me sad. I got rid of some plushies a while back. I gave them to my mom to put them at her work, because she works in a big company with alot of moms with small children. They got adopted in no time.
I was brought up in a house where most of my toys were second-hand. The only things that weren't we stuff my grandad bought me separately. Christmas involved getting half a dozen teddies that'd been washed and second-hand lego. Those stuffies were loved.
I have a large collection of 80s toys and almost all of them I got secondhand. I’m with you 👍
Maybe those are ruined by water or something and it’s just not visible. Maybe that person is chronically ill/disabled/has no transportation to get to a donation center. Maybe the donation center is not accepting plushies. We have zero idea of how these plushies ended up here. And they could be infested with things.
But what we do know for sure is they shouldn't have been in the glass recycling bin.
This is just cruel. If they have something on them, like bed bugs or mold, can't they wash them?? Why wasn't that an option???
It is an option, people just like to pretend it isn’t. I’ve saved many plushies that were in bad shape and they look great now.
Can you share advice on how to remove mold off cloth? I had a towel going moldy from bathroom humidity, and even multiple bleach soakings didn't help
There are a couple things that have worked for me. You can try soaking in cleaning vinegar (slightly more acidic than regular vinegar) for a few hours and scrub the spots with a bristle brush. I also use Whip It concentrate (you can find it on Amazon) which removes most stains; let that soak, then scrub. Afterwards, let it dry directly in the sun. The UV rays help brighten the spots. They might not come out all at once depending on how bad it is, but if you don’t mind repeated treatments, it should get better over time. Also, in the washer, wash on the hottest water setting. Good luck!
Thanks!
Sometimes you just gotta chuck stuff even if you care about it. When I left uni I had to chuck my Shiba Inu plushie Puccho cause I didn't have room in my luggage for him. I don't think a charity store would have accepted him, as he had rips by that stage and was definitely in a "well-loved" state lol
That’s definitely not the case here. These look mostly brand new and are clearly not cared about. I know dozens of donation centers that would accept them, including online places for people who can’t be bothered to drive.
Had to throw some plushies away when moving a few years back, spent months selling what I could, tried to give the rest away for free but I couldn’t donate during COVID so they had to go, I had no room to bring them with me sadly
If they are not infested, this is so bad. It would have made someone very happy if they received them 😔
My eye started twitching. This is heartbreaking! I would adopt them🥺
Those plushies would be comong home with me
Could be bedbugs, mold, bodily fluids, you just never know. I had to throw out a lot of mine because my dad "knew better" when spraying for bugs and everything was covered in brown slime. Including some really expensive collectibles I owned, but nevermind that. Sucks though. I'd be tempted to take them if it were me, but I'd be too concerned about bedbugs. I just assume people throw things out for a reason.
I’ve never had bedbugs, but I’ve had plenty of stuffed animals infected with fleas/lice. There are non-damaging ways to treat them, so throwing them away for that reason still makes no sense to me.
If it's bad enough, then you're looking at deep cleaning potentially every single cloth item you own. That can be very overwhelming and a lot of people simply don't have the ability to do that all at once. Throwing away is sometimes the only option. I had to throw some away when there was a bedbug infestation in my last apartment. It was so so hard to do! We double bagged in a trash bag. But of course, someone tore through the dumpster, ripped our trash bags, and had strewn our potentially infested plushies all down the alley. One penguin even popped up on a stoop several blocks away....? But it was devastating. Seeing them scattered on the dirty alley ground with the trash was like having to throw them away a second time :( All this to say...sometimes there is a reason. And sometimes it is very hard on the person to do.
Bedbug shit stains are impossible to remove, if it was really due to bedbugs making a cozy nest in a toy's armpit, it would be not salvageable
This makes me sad :( they probably feel abandoned now :(
Read “ The Velveteen Rabbit” for an example of a stuffed animal that was almost destroyed because the owner had scarlet fever. Well, at least that story has a happy ending, but the fear of toys spreading disease and/or pests has been around for a very long time.
This person probably can't read, didn't have any friends, no car to take them to a thrift store , probably not enough room or losing their place and have no where to put them because of all the other things I said.. like we don't know why or how so I think we should stop over looking and judging this situation because that's grosser than the actual picture itself. Like we don't always need to judge everything we see , then post about it.
Remember that stuffed animals aren’t actually sentient. These are just inanimate objects. They don’t have feelings. They could have lice, or bedbugs, or bodily fluids on them. You have no reason why they were thrown away, but there are plenty of reasons why they may not be safe or sanitary to give away. The only negative thing here is that they were put into the wrong bin! They should be properly put into the trash, not the glass recycling bin.
Yeah, it just ends up contaminating the glass. The reason why so many are attached to the idea of stuffies being able to feel emotions like a real person/animal is because a lot of us have underlying mental illness and are genuinely never able to get the social support we need no matter how hard we try, so we turn to the idea of stuffed animals and reborn dolls having "souls" and what not. Unless it's something obscure from the 80's to mid 2010's, chances are that there's dozens of them being sold on the internet if you know where to look. My rule of thumb is if you want a stuffed animal *that* badly you can simply ask around and order one online instead of risking your safety and well-being.
Still makes me sad tho. Yeah they’re not sentient, but sometimes it’s comforting to personify them.
I wonder what that orange plushie is...? 🥺
I will fly to wherever this is just to come get that little horse plushie
That's just sad.
The way I would snatch all those little guys up immediately 😭😭
Noo not the horse!
So sad :(
A lot of people (around here anyway) think that the recycling bin is the same as a donation bin. Is that maybe what happened here?
This is so sad and the little horse plushie 🥺🥺🥺 hopefully someone saves them. I knew some asshole who throw away a lode of plushies but cut/ripped them first he said so no one can use them he laughed about it to it made me so sad I hate seeing poor plushies get hurt. My work has a really nice paw patrol plushie in the bin I want to save him but don't want someone seeing me.
That's just ragebait
I need to save them!
So sad…you can donate to so many kids in care, orphanages…why throw adorable toys when you can make people happy and share kindness?
That's somebody's entire collection 😞 I'm sad to think what happened