Over a quarter of Australians (27 per cent) will get a Christmas present this year that they’ll never use or wear.
This is according to new polling from the Australia Institute, which shows that while Aussies love giving gifts, much of what we buy will spend years in the back of a cupboard and, ultimately, end up in landfill.
It also found that Australians waste more than $1 billion on buying Christmas gifts that don’t get used, which is higher than the estimated $921 million spent on unused gifts in 2023.
The Australia Institute surveyed 1,009 Australians between November 13 and 15, 2024 on issues relating to gift-giving, consumption and spending habits during Christmas time. The margin of error is ±3%.
Nearly one in two Australians (47 per cent) do not think about how the gifts they buy for others will eventually be disposed of. Over three in four Australians (77 per cent) like buying gifts for people at Christmas, but over half of Australians (52 per cent) would prefer it if people did not buy them gifts at Christmas.
Meanwhile, 69 per cent of Australians buy gift wrapping paper over gift bags (52 per cent). However, gift bags are more likely to be reused - 65 per cent of those who use gift bags reuse them - than wrapping paper (24 per cent).
Nearly two in three Australians (64 per cent) agree that it is better for the economy when people buy fewer things that don’t get used.
“Reducing waste at Christmas time is beneficial for the environment and can also help Australians feeling the pinch of the cost-of-living crisis,” The Australia Institute director of circular economy and waste program Nina Gbor said.
“Embracing the principles of a circular economy over the linear take-make-waste model could help bring a deeper meaning to Christmas.
“In the amalgamation of the cost-of-living and environmental waste crises, we cannot afford to keep up a ritual that for the most part is not economically or logistically beneficial to the gift giver, receiver and, to make matters worse, contributes to environmental degradation.”