Poor carts.

Ever wondered what happens to all the 3DS and DS games that never find a loving home, either brand new or on the preowned market? They get recycled, as the materials they are made from still have some value — even if the code contained on the card doesn't.

Reddit user HxCut works at a recycling plant and was kind enough to post this final picture of a 545 kilos (12000lbs) of abandoned 3DS and DS carts, all ready to be stripped down and used for other things. According to HxCut, most of the games in this photo are the critically-acclaimed (not really) iCarly 2: iJoin the Click!, but there are plenty of other equally unwanted titles in there.

Here's what HxCut had to say:

This is a gaylord (that's what the boxes are called), they are generally 48"x48"x48". I manage an e-recycling warehouse and these were at my buyer's place. The only value is in the gold scrap. Looked to be like 75% iCarly 2, with some others mixed in. I'd guess they simply couldn't be sold.

So now you know where these dreadful titles end up — and you also know that those massive boxes are called Gaylords — they're named after the Gaylord Container Company, so stop sniggering at the back.

[source kotaku.co.uk, via reddit.com]