Pedestrian taken aback by ‘stunning’ find left next to dumpster in alleyway: ‘[I] couldn’t believe my eyes’

Not everything that gets thrown out is really trash, and one Redditor proved that to be true when they found some astoundingly beautiful chairs near a dumpster in the Chicago suburbs.

The two matching chairs have golden-yellow cushions and beautiful, dark brown, rattan frames in seemingly great condition. The golden discovery was featured on the Reddit thread, r/ThriftStoreHauls. The Redditor mentioned that they’re “definitely going to invest in a good deep clean,” but they’re still a fantastic find that cost nothing.

“[I] couldn’t believe my eyes,” the poster wrote.

One comment mentioned that this is commonplace in the suburbs of northern Chicago — in some of the wealthy areas residents will discard items that are still good — but more universal versions of this are websites such as Craigslist and Facebook marketplace.

In fact, some cities and communities have Facebook pages and events dedicated to giving away free furniture and other items that residents no longer have a use for.

Getting your furniture secondhand like this, either for free or at a lower cost, is a great way to furnish your apartment on a budget. Plus, it gives you the opportunity to find gorgeous items like these chairs and either keep them or sell them.

Some commenters suggested that these chairs in particular could sell for $100 or even up to $1,000. And to make it better, acquiring or getting rid of furniture this way is also much better for the environment.

Furniture is often composed of multiple materials, including plastics. This makes it difficult to recycle, and it means that most of it will end up in a landfill once it’s thrown out. A study by the Environmental Protection Agency found that in 2017, 80.2% of furniture waste went to landfills.

Obviously, at some point your furniture will be worn out enough that it’s unusable. However, by purchasing secondhand or selling when you no longer need it, you’ll ensure that your furniture is used to its full capacity before entering a landfill, and you’ll save some money in the process.

Comments on the post couldn’t believe the lucky find. “Score!” wrote one user, “We just counted ourselves lucky to find a pair for $80.” Another Redditor said, “What a find, these are stunning.”

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more, waste less, and help yourself while helping the planet.