Five ways to limit your festive waste and be more sustainable this gift giving season

Aussies are predicted to spend a whopping $11 billion on gifts this festive season and with all those gifts comes a mountain of waste.

The Australian Retailers Association predicts the holidays will generate a more than 30 per cent in excess waste with wrapping paper alone stretching to 150,000 km – that’s enough to wrap Australia six times!

Unwanted gifts are an issue for many Aussies

So how can you tone down your waste and still get the impact you want with your gift-giving? And what about unwanted presents? According to recent research by Roy Morgan, Aussies will unwrap over $572 million in unwanted gifts.

With figures like this, it’s little wonder that according to GroupTogether research, 68 per cent of Australians agree that we need to rethink gift-giving and give more sustainably. While approximately 60 per cent of people would prefer an eGift Card rather than a gift a friend chose for them.

Time to rethink gifting

Ali Linz, co-founder of GroupTogether says it’s time we started a movement to rethink the way we gift.

“There’s a simple way to reduce the waste by 93 per cent Lins says. “Group gift. One really wanted gift, rather than 20 received for a bday, farewell, baby shower or Christmas. It also saves money because each person can spend less but give better. GroupTogether makes it simple for everyone to chip in and sign a card online for a group gift and keepsake card (including pics).”

Over half of the surveyed Australians have already made up their mind about what they’ll be gifting this Christmas. Unsurprisingly, toys, jigsaw puzzles and board games were mentioned by 20 per cent of Australians who know what presents they’re going to buy, closely followed by vouchers and gift cards (18 per cent) and clothing, shoes and sleepwear (16 per cent).

Recycling a priority

Accroding to GroupTogtehr’s finding 90 per cent of Australians make an effort to recycle in some way and sustainability is a hot topic this Christmas.

72 per cent of women surveyed agree that we should be thinking of the environment this festive season and 64 per cent of men surveyed agree.

Julie Tylman, co-founder of GroupTogether says one solution to gift wastage is a group gift. The brand has seen group giving grow exponentially since launching in 2016.

“You’re saving the planet without compromise. It’s actually better for the recipient too as they get a better gift. Group gifting ticks all the boxes which is why GroupTogether.com has grown so much over the last five years.”

5 ways you can limit your gift waste

• Avoid glittery shiny wrapping paper; try to reuse old paper before throwing it out
• Opt for eco gifts where possible
• Cater for the right amount of people to avoid food waste; compost what’s left
• Separate food waste from general waste and recycling
• Regift or donate unwanted gifts to charity or a children’s hospital

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