Waging the war on waste
Posted on 29 May 2025
By Greg Thom, journalist, Institute of Community Directors Australia
As much as $4.5 billion worth of brand-new, unsold goods that could help disadvantaged Australians, is instead going to waste every year, according to a new report.
Commissioned by charity Good360 Australia, the Deloitte Access Economics study found the amount of unsold retail goods wasted in Australia has risen by 17 per cent since 2021 to $2.9 billion per year.
The rise of online shopping returns has supercharged this amount by a further $1.5 billion, taking the total amount of wasted goods to $4.5 billion.
Good360 founder and managing director Alison Covington said of particular concern was the increase in wastage of personal hygiene items, cleaning supplies and infant products which has surged 33 per cent in just three years.
She said recent Good360 research revealed that 82 per cent of charities and disadvantaged schools across Australia report unprecedented demand for essential items, indicating the impact they could make to the lives of those in need.
The report's release comes as Good360 marks its 10th anniversary connecting businesses donating unsold goods to people in need via a national network of more than 4,800 charities and disadvantaged schools.
In that time, Good360 has:
- redistributed more than 43.7 million items
- helped more than 4.8 million people in need
- helped avoid 7,616 tonnes of waste going into landfill
“Over the past ten years, we are proud to have connected $500 million worth of unsold goods to people in Australia doing it tough,” said Covington.
“This includes everyday brand-new essentials that have restored dignity, brought relief and given hope to our most vulnerable.”
Covington said the new report showed there is still much more to be done and called for government and retailers to step up to the plate.
“As Good360 successfully grows to solve the problem of wasted new goods, the opportunity to do more keeps growing too.
“We are seeing rising levels of waste on one side and record levels of need on the other.”
Hear more from Good360 founder Alison Covington in the Community Advocate podcast.