Media Coverage
NewsCorp; May 29, 2025
While Aussies go without, big companies are throwing away essentials that could be redirected to people in need, major charities say.
Australia wastes $4.5bn worth of new, unsold goods, including hygiene products, clothing and homewares, every year, a Good360 report reveals.
Despite young families struggling amid cost-of-living pressures, personal hygiene items, cleaning supplies and infant products are among those growing fastest in the near $5bn waste pile.
These products have increased waste by 33 per cent in just three years despite being necessities.
One of the charities calling for goods to be redirected is Little Wings, which uses items donated through Good360 to help seriously ill children and their families in rural and regional areas.
Little Wings chief executive Clare Pearson said families of sick children desperately needed aid while companies were just throwing out usable goods.
“When you’re caring for a sick child, for us, from our perspective, is that families go without in so many ways just trying to conserve their finances,” Ms Pearson told NewsWire.
“To have some of these resources redirected to families who really cherish and desperately need them … it’s really a game changer for so many families.”
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