Workplaces are being urged to ditch their Secret Santa plans this year in a bid to protect the environment.

UK environmental charity Hubbub is warning that millions of euros are wasted each Christmas on unwanted gifts from colleagues.

The charity is calling on workplaces to think about running a “Second-Hand Santa” policy in place of Secret Santa to prevent tonnes of presents from ending up in the bin this Christmas.

Second-Hand Santa involves asking workers to source gifts from charity shops and pre-loved or upcycling sites – or even regifting items they already own – instead of buying brand new.

Christmas waste

Hubbub believes the idea can really cut down on the environmental impact of Christmas while easing pressure on your wallet in the process.

Hubbub CEO Alex Robinson is appealing for all businesses to get on board.

“Embracing Second-Hand Santa is an incredibly simple thing we can all do to support the environment,” he said.

“This not only reduces the demand for new novelty items which use resources and energy to produce and transport but also reduces waste as we know a good portion of these gifts don’t make it home after the Christmas Party.”

Saving Money

According to a Censuswide survey, 17% of people believe they could do without buying a Secret Santa gift this Christmas due to the current cost of living.

It is estimated that such gifts cost £280 million (€298.5m) in the UK last year alone.

Of those surveyed, just one-in-three said a gift they received from a colleague last Christmas was genuinely useful for them.

Mr Robinson said throwing gifts away may seem like a drop in the ocean on an individual level, but collectively, the environmental impact of disposing of gifts “really adds up”.

Attitude Change

He’s calling for a change in attitude towards second-hand gift-giving to combat the issue.

“People need to feel more comfortable making this choice – so we think work Secret Santa is a great place to start,” said the Hubbub CEO.

“We’re appealing to individuals and businesses … to get on board with this movement and look forward to seeing it become common practice.”

The environmental charity said car-boot sales and charity shops are great options for Second-Hand Santa presents – with online tools like eBay and Facebook also very handy.

Failing that, the charity says, you could always simply regift something you already own.

Reporting from Robert Kindregan.