For the budget-strapped, or someone just looking to stretch their dollar, discount stores are simply a godsend.

And these days discount stores have gotten better at stocking items that previously only the big department stores carried.  Most of these are made in China.  From home décor and organizers to cookware, to toiletries and cleaning aids, office and school supplies, gadget accessories and pet care—they’ve got it all.

A discount store in Japan.
(Photo from www.thejapanguy.com)

Yet a recent study has revealed that up to 81{e3829ec1db02d54faaf9fa2de0d48db26af01d7a7944a63c3b26976124791cab} of discount store products contain toxic chemicals.  US-based Campaign for Healthier Solutions tested 164 products from dollar stores and found alarming levels of toxic chemicals and metals such as phthalates, bromine, lead, chromium, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).  These chemicals have been noted for their hazardous effects in the body—leading to learning disabilities, birth defects, reduced fertility, diabetes, even cancer.

And to think that these stores also sell children’s products such as toys and school supplies.  Water bottles, especially made from the #7 plastic, which is the toxic, non-recyclable kind, are especially popular here.

Big stores and their products are always closely monitored and regulated by the government, but up until now discount stores have been able to go under the radar simply because of their sheer number.  Treehugger notes that they actually outnumber Walmart branches.

So Many Plastics in the World, So Little Time

Aside from health effects, we also have a severe problem in plastics disposal.  Over 280m metric tons of waste plastic are generated every year, reports the Guardian.  Sadly, not all of it gets recycled.  They either get tossed in landfills or else incinerated where they emit toxic fumes.  And there’s a staggering amount of plastic waste that ends up in our oceans, threatening to outnumber the fishes there.

Even environmentalist Mike Biddle, the guy behind the revolutionary MBA Polymers, laments his plastic recycling company can’t handle all those millions of metric tons of waste generated worldwide.  As it is his company, which operates on just a handful of countries, can only process a tiny fraction.

Plastics are still mostly derived from petrochemicals which are non-renewable resources.  Even the new breed of supposedly environment-friendly bioplastics have their own share of problems—they eat into our food supply (they’re mostly corn-based), while emitting harmful methane once disposed of in landfills.  And even when manufacturers claim they’ve improved biodegradability of plastics, the tiny broken down polymers are still there.

So the main issue is that we’re manufacturing more plastics than we can comfortably and effectively recycle.  Much.  Too.  Much.  Plastics.

With cheaper pricing comes increased sales which in turn creates more impetus for manufacturers.  Discount stores then become the happy convenient venue of today’s consumerist society, opening up the spectrum of everything made in plastic that can be possibly sold.  So we have fancy dog collars and colorful earbuds and cutesy smartphone cases and neon spatulas and various other thrilling trinkets.   Things we don’t really need anyway but buy because they’re there.

And because their products are so cheap, they’re also easy meant to be disposable.

Tempting Bargains

The lure of discount stores is simple—everyone loves a bargain.  Why spend so much on a single item at the mall when your money can get you so much more in a discount store?

Discount stores are especially popular in developing nations where stretching one’s money most matters.  In a sense it’s good that products are becoming more accessible to more people at a price they can afford.  The democratizing effect is especially empowering since now anyone can literally outfit their new home—from living room to bedroom, to kitchen and bathroom—with just a few well-chosen items from these bargain stores.

And it helps that plastic wares from discount stores have that premium look now, just like their more expensive counterparts in the malls.  Gone are the days of the cheap-looking, shoddy plastic products.  Now they’re rendered velvety smooth or elegantly matte, and in a tasteful range of colors, and they do the job at half the price.

But appearances are just appearances.  Apparently, those wallet-friendly products exact a much higher price from our health and the environment.