Charities

$4.5 billion in wasted goods, and charities that can’t meet demand

Ritchelle Drilon
April 30, 2026

When a flood recedes or a bushfire is contained, public attention moves on. Emergency response teams pack up, media coverage fades and the immediate crisis is declared over. But for the families left behind, the hard work of rebuilding has barely begun, and for many, the essential support they need never arrives.

New research from national charity Good360 Australia puts hard numbers to what frontline workers have long known: the period long after a disaster is when recovery stalls, and it is where the system most consistently fails.

The demand gap is widening

A survey of nearly 300 charities across Australia found that 80 per cent say demand for non-food aid has never been higher. The same proportion report that more people are doing it tough and in need of support. Almost two-thirds say they are seeing more people reaching out for help for the first time.

Critically, the supply of donated goods is not keeping pace. Nearly four in five charities say they do not have enough brand-new donated goods to meet community demand, up significantly from previous years.

Alison Covington AM, Founder and Managing Director of Good360 Australia, describes what is happening as both an immediate and a prolonged crisis. “Long after a crisis or disaster hits, the majority of recovering families are still in need of essential items and household goods. The items that make a house a home — the fridge, washing machine, cookware, bedding, education items — are all too often forgotten about.”

Recovery takes longer than most people assume

The research is direct on this point: nearly two-thirds of charities say most families take more than two years to recover from a crisis or disaster. Some never fully recover at all.

Yet the structure of support does not reflect this reality. The majority of charities identify the biggest gap in support as occurring in the longer term — either in the three-to-twelve-month phase after a crisis, or beyond twelve months. Most charities also say they do not feel prepared to support their communities through that extended recovery period. Just six per cent feel very prepared.

The consequences of unmet long-term recovery needs are significant. Charities report that when essential support does not reach families in time, the most common outcomes are ongoing financial stress or debt and deteriorating mental health — both cited by 95 per cent of respondents — followed by family stress or breakdown, and housing instability.

What families actually need

The research identifies the items most critical for families recovering from crisis or disaster. Whitegoods top the list, cited by 86 per cent of charities, followed by beds and bedding, kitchen appliances, clothing, kitchenware, furniture and electrical appliances.

These are not luxury items but baseline goods required for a functioning household, and their absence makes genuine recovery impossible.
The most in-demand category of non-food aid overall is personal hygiene and cleaning products, cited by 75 per cent of charities. Clothing, education items, household appliances, and furniture follow closely behind.

A case in point

Birds in the Bush is a domestic and family violence charity in Orange, NSW. Its facility, The Orchard, provides apartments for women and children leaving violent situations — spaces designed to offer safety and stability at one of the most vulnerable moments in a family’s life.

Through a partnership with Good360 and Harvey Norman, the charity received the household essentials needed to transform each unit from a shelter into a home.

One resident, Rhiannon, described what that support meant in practice: the brand-new blankets, doonas and towels that arrived when she and her children had nothing. “It was just a light at the end of the tunnel,” she said. “The support we received turned everything around for me and the kids.”

What the sector is calling for

The research finds that charities’ greatest concerns in supporting community recovery centre on funding constraints, the rising cost of essential household items, and insufficient donated goods. Volunteer burnout, community mental health impacts, and underinsurance also feature prominently.

On the question of accountability, the numbers are unambiguous: 92 per cent of charities believe governments could be doing more to ensure people in need can access essential goods. Eighty-seven per cent say the same of retailers and businesses.

Alison Covington AM frames the solution as a shared responsibility. “Smart collaboration and partnerships are key to delivering for people and communities. By donating surplus goods, businesses and retailers have a huge opportunity to provide relief. Together, we can ensure that every home has the essentials needed for a comfortable and dignified life.”