Media Coverage
Australian Associated Press; May 29, 2025
Small luxuries such as electric blankets and Lego can quickly fall off the shopping lists of families with seriously sick kids who are struggling with the rising cost of living, steep medical bills and caring responsibilities.
But that doesn’t mean they have to go without.
Little Wings charity flies thousands of kids from the bush living with cancer, burns and other conditions to life-saving medical treatment each year for free thanks to volunteers, but their help doesn’t stop there.
Families receive packages of essentials and gifts designed to ease the emotional and financial stress of commuting from the regions to major hospitals.
Demand for their help has soared fourfold in recent years which is why it was upsetting to learn a $4.5 billion worth of retail stock becomes waste each year, even though it could go to charity.
“It’s heartbreaking, isn’t it?” Ms Pearson said.
“Not only for the families, but for the planet.”
Some $2.9 billion worth of unsold goods from retailers are thrown out each year while more than $1.5 billion worth of online shopping returns are discarded, according to a Deloitte Access Economics report for not-for-profit Good360.
It’s a 17 per cent jump since 2021, despite continual charity demand for clothing, homewares, hygiene products and other essentials.
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Read the Deloitte Access Economic Report: 2025 Update here.
