What Does Dollar Tree Do With Unsold Food?

Many restaurants and grocery stores are involved in programs to help reduce food waste. Walmart converts some of its food waste into compost. A large number of restaurants donate leftover food to food assistance programs and local food banks. But many businesses also have policies in place that prevent these kinds of donations. Some corporations worry they could be held liable if donated food causes people to get sick. Instead of donating food that's close to its best-before date and still safe to eat, many stores simply dispose of it. According to employees online, Dollar Tree is one of those businesses that disposes of food rather than donating it, although some reports suggest practices may vary.

Some Dollar Trees offer soon-to-expire food at a discount. The process is very informal, but you might see a cart in the store with a sign reducing items to 50 cents or 25 cents as they get closer to the listed date. Dollar Tree frozen foods and grocery items are discounted until their expiration date, then thrown in the dumpster rather than being donated.

On Reddit, many Dollar Tree employees have posted about throwing away food they believe is still good. "We throw a lot of food away at my store," said one Redditor. They went on to say they asked a manager about donating the food and were told it was against company policy.

One Redditor stated they believe it's store policy to dispose of food because Dollar Tree can write off wasted food as a total loss, and recover more than it would if the food were donated. However, there is no confirmation that this is official policy. In another thread about Dollar Tree food waste, a Redditor offered an explanation about the liability issue being a factor, and how companies fear being sued. However, that's actually not a concern in the United States. The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act was enacted in 1996, and protects companies that donate food in good faith from liability should anyone fall ill or be injured. As long as the food meets safety standards, companies and organizations are protected when donating it. It's possible businesses that cite liability concerns are not aware of the law's existence.

A Redditor who works at a Dollar Tree in California says their local food pantry sends volunteers once a month to pick up out-of-date food. "We have begged them to come at least once a week," they said, adding that without the food pantry, the food would end up in the dumpster. Due to this, it seems like some stores may be able to donate unsold food, while others are not.

More than one comment on Reddit details how employees have been told to not just put food in dumpsters, but also to pour bleach on it to prevent it from being taken. Interestingly, in 2024, Dollar Tree announced it had partnered with No Kid Hungry, a program to end childhood hunger and poverty, which included a substantial cash donation. There was no mention of whether the company intended to implement a food donation program as part of the efforts.