Waste from unwanted Christmas presents is set to exceed more than $900 million, according to new research.
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Over the 2023 festive period, more than six million Australians will receive presents they won't use or wear, the Australia Institute found in a Yuletide survey.
The bulk of the unwanted presents are destined for landfill, according to Nina Gbor, director of the Institute's Waste and Circular Economy program.
"Nearly half of us would rather not receive presents at all, suggesting it's time to shake up our spending habits," she said.
"Buying fewer presents and focusing on quality over quantity does not just help save the environment, it also spares our wallets during the cost of living crisis."
The institute quizzed 1379 people and found almost half would rather receive no presents at all.
Almost 80 per cent said they liked buying gifts for others, but less than half thought about how the gifts would eventually be disposed of.
Ms Gbor said gifting experiences or homemade presents were great alternatives to wasteful spending.
On a more sustainable note, more than half of Australians had a Christmas tree last year and of those, 85 per cent intended to reuse it.
Australian Associated Press
