They aren't stolen, but it's also not fair to blame Apple for bricking them. These are most likely sold by schools and companies in bulk as they replace them for newer models. The sad truth is that "No, these aren't bricked, the seller just couldn't be bothered resetting them".
Don't blame Apple for the MacBooks being scrapped, blame the organisations that resell them without resetting them because they really don't care if they are refurbish or just dumped in the landfill. Apple made a perfectly good anti-theft solution and now people are upset that they forgot to ask for these devices to be unlocked before buying them.
If these buyers are truly that upset about the environmental impact, send them to Apple and let Apple recycle them... But we all know that they won't be doing that, because what they are upset about is losing money.
Don't blame Apple for the MacBooks being scrapped, blame the organisations that resell them without resetting them because they really don't care if they are refurbish or just dumped in the landfill. Apple made a perfectly good anti-theft solution and now people are upset that they forgot to ask for these devices to be unlocked before buying them.
If these buyers are truly that upset about the environmental impact, send them to Apple and let Apple recycle them... But we all know that they won't be doing that, because what they are upset about is losing money.