I Worked in a (Possibly Illegal) Waste-Diversion Warehouse—Here’s What It Taught Me About Things You Don’t Want

Next Tuesday, we’re kicking off our Do Good Conversation Series: From Junk to Gems, and I couldn’t be more excited. This event brings together an incredible panel of experts—Mark Salvi from Jalopy Jungle, Rich Cline from Idaho Youth Ranch, Westin Juarez from Second Chance Building Material Center, and Gabe Brenner from the City of Boise—to dig into a topic that’s been a personal obsession of mine for years: waste, consumerism, and what really happens to the things we don’t want anymore.

We obsess over where our stuff comes from—but almost no one stops to think about where it goes when we’re done with it. Out of sight, out of mind…

So let me tell you my origin story that sparked my obsession with waste… 

Years ago, when I was living in LA and in need of a job, a friend’s dad offered me a position at his ‘company.’ I had no idea what they did, but I took the job because I needed work and genuinely liked the family. As it turns out, the operation was… unconventional.

He was running what I’d call an “Amazon hustle.” He paid waste companies to intercept department store pallets that were on their way to the landfill (hundreds of pallets)—pallets loaded with returned or overstock items from big retailers and department stores like Target, Walmart, and JCPenney. Lamps, sheets, toys, shoes, fake plants, fishing gear, electric dog fences—you name it. These items were taken to a massive warehouse in Chatsworth, sorted, checked for quality, and then listed for resale on Amazon and eBay.

If something was brand new, it went straight to Amazon. If it was opened but still in great condition, we put it on eBay. Employees were even allowed to take home whatever they wanted. (I still have some home decor from those days.)

It blew my mind to see how much perfectly good merchandise was destined for the landfill—not because it was defective, but because retailers didn’t want the liability or hassle of reselling returned goods. And while the company I worked for was skirting some legal and ethical lines, at its core, it was preventing massive amounts of waste from being buried in a landfill.

Looking back, the whole thing was layered in irony. The warehouse itself was a porn distribution center (potentially a legal guise for an illegal waste-diversion operation?). It was an odd environment, to say the least—and I couldn’t help but love the irony of it. It felt like a secret operation, but instead of hiding something bad, we were hiding something good—because in this twisted system, the “good” was technically considered “bad” (Oh! The drama!). 

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But it completely changed the way I think about consumerism and waste. To this day, I never return items and always donate, sell, or gift instead. That job is where I first saw the dark underbelly of our take-make-waste system, and it was the moment I realized I wanted to make a difference. To this day, I never return items and always donate, sell or gift. 

Why This Conversation Matters

The reality is, most people don’t know what happens to their returns, donations, their old furniture, their used electronics, or even their trash once it leaves their hands. And when we don’t know, we make assumptions—like believing our donated clothes all go to people in need or that recycling is as simple as tossing something in the blue bin.

But our panelists do know. They work in the trenches of waste, recycling, and secondhand goods every day, and they have insights that will change the way you think about your impact. We’re not just talking about used goods that still have life left—we’re talking about real solutions for even end-of-life products that often slip through the cracks.

I hope you’ll join us. Because once you see how the system really works, you can start making smarter choices—whether in your business, your home, or your community. And that’s what the Do Good Conversation Series is all about.

Hope to see you Tuesday. Let’s talk trash—literally.

Want to come to the event? Check it out and RSVP here: https://hmk-impact.com/do-good