Amazon is under fire following an undercover investigation by ITV News that reports that Amazon facilities across the UK ‘destroy 130,000 items’ of unsold or returned stock a week, including drones, fans, smart TVs, MacBooks, iPads, and more.
The investigation by Richard Pallot highlights how Amazon is destroying millions of often new and unused products which end up at waste recycling sites across the country rather than being donated to charities or non-profit organizations.
Interviewing a former Amazon employee, ITV News revealed that half of the items that are sent to be destroyed are unopened and in their retail packaging. ‘Overall, 50 percent of all items are unopened and still in their shrink wrap. The other half are returns and in good condition,’ the ex-employee said.
Image: Amazon
“I used to gasp. There’s no rhyme or reason to what gets destroyed: Dyson fans, Hoovers, the occasional MacBook and iPad; the other day, 20,000 Covid (face) masks still in their wrappers.
In a statement to ITV News, Amazon said: ‘We are working towards a goal of zero product disposal and our priority is to resell, donate to charitable organizations or recycle any unsold products. ‘No items are sent to landfill in the UK. As a last resort, we will send items to energy recovery, but we’re working hard to drive the number of times this happens down to zero.’
The UK government is now facing calls to look into the matter.
Image: ITV News