What Happens When You Ghost Your Storage Unit? (Hint: Ultimately The Planet Pays)

Let’s face it the facts here - we all have stuff.

That treadmill you were definitely going to use from the TV channel in 2003.

Boxes of your ex’s DVDs. The “good” chair that’s been broken since 2013 but you still sit in it in hopes for the old comfort.

Enter: the self-storage unit. A magical place where your junk goes to... well, sit quietly in the dark until we forget it exists!

But what happens when we abandon these units? You might picture a dramatic auction with a fast-talking guy and someone finding treasure (rare). In reality? It’s less Storage Wars and more Planet Loses BADLY.

When storage units are left behind, their contents are often tossed or auctioned off. Sure, someone might score a vintage lava lamp, but a whole lot more ends up in landfills around the world. Furniture, electronics, mystery boxes labeled “misc.” So many boxes labelled "misc". They say the most common name is Mohammed worldwide - we would disagree and say its 'Miscellaneous".

You name it, it's getting dumped. And unfortunately, your old bean bag chair does not biodegrade at all - in fact your great grand children could sit on it if its condition was fabulous.

Electronics are especially naughty for the world and its environmental factors. Leftover laptops, tangled cords, and that printer you rage-quit in 2015 (and now miss desperately as there are no printers anywhere) all contain toxic materials. When they’re not recycled properly (which, spoiler alert: they often aren’t), they can leak nasty chemicals into the soil and water. It’s like giving Mother Nature a chemical high/headache she didn’t ask for.

And don’t even get us started on cleaning supplies, old paint cans, or mystery jugs of “car fluid” that people store and forget. Those little chemical cocktails can leak and cause real damage, especially when no one’s around to notice or care. There have been stories of people cleaning these chemicals up and dying from the misuse and handling of the chemicals.

Even the storage units & facilities themselves aren’t innocent. These buildings still suck up electricity for lights, climate control, and security systems. So when units are just sitting there, abandoned and unloved, they’re wasting resources faster than you can say “forgot I rented that.”

So what can we do? For starters, visit your storage unit. Maybe even open a box. If you find things you don’t need, donate them or recycle responsibly.

In the end, your abandoned storage unit isn’t just holding onto your junk & cash - it’s holding onto a hidden environmental cost. So maybe it's time to check in on your forgotten belongings or get SYS to do it... before they check out on the planet’s behalf.

Abandoned storage units may seem like a minor issue in the grand scheme of environmental challenges, but their cumulative impact is real. By recognizing the hidden cost of our stored “stuff,” we can make more conscious choices — and take a step toward a more sustainable future.