Don’t Let Gifts End Up as Landfill - Donate Instead

Not for Profit Karma Currency and a waste removal and recycling company, Speedie Waste, have joined forces to encourage Australians to spend less on Christmas gifts that could end up in the rubbish this year and consider a gift to charity instead.

And they’ve gone to great lengths to promote the giving message – wrapping up a 10 tonne garbage truck as a  Christmas gift.

Ash Rosshandler, CEO of the Karma Currency Foundation, says that while the retailers keep screaming that “Prices are Down” the social and environmental costs just keeping going up and up.

“Galaxy research has shown that each Christmas Australians spend over $1 billion in unwanted gifts that will eventually end up in landfill,” Rosshandler says.

“With just two weeks to go until Christmas, Speedie Waste has been a great partner in helping to deliver this message.

“Together with their help, we’ll help hundreds of larger and smaller charities this Christmas including RSPCA, Oxfam, The Red Cross, The Heart Research Institute and The Cancer Council with our Charity Gift Vouchers.”

A gift wrapped waste truck: encouraging Australians to spend a little more on charitable donations this Christmas and a little less on wasteful gifts.

Charity gift vouchers are fully tax deductible and can be sent via email or post or can be printed out at home. Each voucher empowers the recipient to choose which charities will benefit.

When the CEO of Speedie Waste Vince Barilla, was first approached to “wrap-up” his truck in Christmas paper he thought it was a practical joke but he says he was quickly convinced otherwise.

“As a green waste removal and recycling company we are always looking for ways to help reduce waste and help the community so this message is a right on target,” he says.

Hence the Christmas campaign with Karma Currency.