Media Coverage
The Australian; September 6, 2023
The cost-of-living crunch risks pushing billions of dollars worth of new, unused goods to landfill – and creating an environmental crisis.
Billions of dollars worth of clothes, appliances, toiletries and furniture risk being sent to landfill as Australians watch their dollars amid the cost of living crunch.
New data from charity Good360 reveals a plunge in retail sales, exacerbated by high inflation, could be creating Australia’s “next environmental crisis”.
The national accounts data released on Tuesday revealed discretionary spending fell 0.5 per cent in the June quarter, marking the third consecutive fall – led by a 2.5 per cent quarterly decrease in spending on household goods.
The charity, which has received more than $390m in new, unsold goods from businesses including Big W and Harvey Norman to distribute to thousands of charities and disadvantaged schools across the country, says there has been a 20 per cent increase in donations over the last 12 months as retailers struggle to sell goods.
Good360 has warned that without government help, it may not have the capacity to deal with the increasing volume.
Founder Alison Covington said that although the charity was redistributing millions of dollars worth of items to vulnerable Australians, there could potentially be billions of dollars of unsold consumer goods headed for landfill.
Check out the full article over at The Australian.
Read more about Good360’s efforts during the cost-of-living crisis here.
