More than a quarter (27%) of Australians will this year get a Christmas present they’ll never use or wear.

New polling from The Australia Institute reveals that although Aussies love giving gifts, much of what we buy will spend years in the back of a cupboard and, ultimately, end up in landfill.

So, while it might be a season of joy, it’s also the season of waste, which is bad for the environment and bad for the hip pocket, according to the Institute.

The Australia Institute surveyed 1,009 Australians between 13 and 15 November 2024 on issues relating to gift giving, consumption and spending habits during Christmas time. The margin of error is ±3%.

Key research findings:

• Australians waste more than $1 billion on buying Christmas gifts for people that don’t get used.
• Nearly one in two Australians (47%) do not think about how the gifts they buy for others will eventually be disposed of.
• Over three in four Australians (77%) like buying gifts for people at Christmas, but over half of Australians (52%) would prefer it if people did not buy them gifts at Christmas.
• A greater number of Australians buy gift wrapping paper (69%) than gift bags (52%). However, gift bags are more likely to be reused (65% of those who use gift bags reuse them) than wrapping paper (24% of those who use wrapping paper reuse it).
• Nearly two in three Australians (64%) 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,” said Nina Gbor, Director, Circular Economy & Waste Program at The Australia Institute.

“Embracing the principles of a circular economy over the linear take-make-waste model could help bring a deeper meaning to Christmas.

“Surprising loved ones with meaningful gifts is a beautiful holiday ritual, however, many Australians do not want the gifts they receive.

“Both gift giver and receiver can enjoy Christmas even more with by knowing that the gifts we give and receive are needed, used with less likelihood of being discarded or ending up in landfill.

“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.