30+ On-Trend Low-Waste Gift Ideas For Teens and Tweens

Avoid waste and clutter with these low-waste gift ideas for teens that they will enjoy.

Teens can be hard to buy gifts for. Throw in the desire to give eco-friendly gifts—or at least lower-waste compared to fast fashion or gimmicky items—it can feel even more difficult.

It’s hard for me to believe, but my kids are both teens.

So when writing this article, they weighed in on what were good ideas…and which ones are not.

My teens have different tastes and hobbies, so we have tested many of the following below. My son is all about online gaming and camping, while my daughter loves art and baking, and while she’s not so much into skin care…her friends? It’s a big deal.

So many gift ideas for tweens and teens involve kitsch stuff that ends up as clutter or landfill. 

In fact, according to research by the Australian Institute, an estimated $921 million worth of gifts were unwanted in 2023, adding to our growing waste problem!

So in this article, I share a wide range of trendy gifts that teens will actually like but while keeping things low-waste.

Sustainable Gift Ideas For Teens and Tweens

Below is a whole range of low-waste gift ideas for teens to suit every budget.

For tweens and younger teens, there’s some cross-over with the gift ideas for kids ideas, so check that out for more ideas.

For older teens, there’s some cross-over with the adult gifts ideas.

Give Experiences Not Stuff for Zero-Waste Gifts

Lessons and Classes

This is one of our favourite gifts. From cooking to art classes, wood turning to bush survival skills an experience enriches your life without leaving you with a mountain of clutter that ends up in landfill.

Does your teen or tween have a favourite hobby? Or one they want to try? Why not gift them a class?

Ideas include art classes, woodworking lessons, photography lessons, music lessons and dance lessons. For older teens, consider gifting them driving lessons. For online classes that cover a wide variety of hobbies, check out Craftsy or for practical courses like coding, check out Udemy. All courses can be gifted.

Activities

Look around at your local area for activities your teen might like.

Canoeing or kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, a pass to the rock climbing wall, archery lessons, laser tag, high ropes adventure course, paintballing, go-cart racing, to name a few.

Check out Groupon for local discounted adventure activities.

Field Trips

This year, all public transport is 50c in QLD. So a field trip to Brisbane to go to the art gallery or museum just got that much cheaper!

As teens get older, they want to be doing field trips with their friends, not so much their parents, but gifting a pass for two can get teens out of the house, exploring the world, and doing something new.

Events

Event tickets – either paid in full or partial payment towards a ticket – is another low-waste option.

Event ideas include sporting events, theatre or live production, a concert ticket or a movie voucher.

Spa

High school students have a lot of study and stress.

A massage or mani-pedi might be just the thing to help them unwind over the Christmas holidays.

DIY it for a cheaper option. This is a great way to spend special time with your teenager.

Memberships

Memberships like a gym membership can be a great, low-waste gift, and it can be a great way to save money too, especially if a few family members pitch in for a yearly membership.

You might also like: DIY Spa Hamper on a Budget.

Digital Subscriptions and Gift Cards

I have one teen who likes real world stuff (i.e. real books) and the other who is very much a digital native (i.e. audio books).

You can avoid clutter and stuff with a digital gift or subscription for the right recipient.

*You can buy gift cards for digital products like Google Play or Netflix at most major retailers or at Australia Post. Choice has a useful guide to buying gift cards and what to be aware of. Check to see if there is a digital gift certificate option to avoid the little piece of plastic!

Digital Books

Give the gift of reading without the clutter.

Consider Kindle books (which you can read on any device, you don’t need a Kindle), a Kindle Unlimited Subscription, or an Audible book or subscription.

Not sure what book to buy? Amazon now does gift certificates in Australia which can be used in their digital library.

If you don’t like Amazon, Kobo is a great alternative.

Digital Music

You can gift a YouTube Music subscription, a subscription to Spotify or buy gift cards for the iTunes Store.

Digital Movies

A Netflix gift card can be used to pay for an existing subscription or to begin a new subscription (which can be cancelled any time).

Alternatively, you can get movies, and TV shows through Google Play with their gift certificates or the iTunes store with iTunes gift certificates.

Digital games

This is a favourite gift for both teen gamers.

PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo all have gift cards available in most grocery and department stores and online.

Depending on the games your recipient likes to play, they may appreciate a gift card from Steam or Blizzard.

We like to look out for half-price deals during the year to save.

You might also like: DIY Gamer’s Gift Hamper.

Digital Magazines

You can read most magazines for free online through your local library.

However, if you want to gift a mag subscription, you can do so through iSubscribe, and Pocketmags.

Useful Low-Waste Gifts That Teens Will Actually Use

While digital gifts keep clutter to a minimum, there are plenty of teens who want real-world stuff.

Here are some ideas that have been popular with our teens and their friends.

Planner/Organiser

For the busy teen, a planner helps them get into the habit of being organised.

You can DIY a planner (there are heaps of ideas on YouTube) or purchase a planner, diary, or calendar from your local office supplies store.

There are a ton of trendy planners and diaries out there – a trendy planner with binder rings to replace the pages is on my daughter’s list this year.

Corkboard

Corkboards are great for organising things, to use as a mood board or to just display photos and other memorabilia.

Dress up a plain corkboard to turn it into a special gift with these ideas, although your teen will want to decorate it as they like.

Water bottle

Water bottles are THE MUST HAVE ACCESSORIE at the moment. Extra points if it’s a Stanley Cup.

While 400 Stanley Cups in every colour and style is definitely NOT eco-friendly, one reusable water bottle can cut down plastic.

Coffee Cup

For tea, coffee or hot chocolate, encourage waste-free with a reusable coffee cup.

Protein Shaker or Smoothie Cup

Not all teens get into the coffee habit, some prefer protein drinks or smoothies – an attractive, reusable protein shaker or smoothie tumbler can make a great gift.

Tote Bag

Bags are always useful, and a tote bag is very much on trend at the moment.

Make your own bag as a gift (there are lots of tutorials here) or buy a cute canvas one – check out your farmer’s market to buy local!

Bed Quilt

Are you a quilter? A new bedspread in your teen’s favourite colours is a gift they will use for years. Make it more sustainable by using recycled fabric (a bedspread made from your teen’s favourite old shirts, for example).

Skincare and Makeup

Skin care is SO IN right now with teens and tweens.

But not all skincare is good for young skin or the environment. So it’s good to encourage natural alternatives.

This natural lip gloss is always a popular brand.

We’ve purchased Sukin teen skin care packs in the past but we’re currently experimenting with brands to find one that is good for sensitive skin.

For an almost natural mani-pedi, check out their almost natural nail polish.

Ethical Accessories

DIY jewellery, vintage jewellery, handmade jewellery from your local market or ethically made jewellery all make great gifts for someone who loves accessories.

If you know so a teen who likes to make their own jewellery, consider gifting kits or supplies.

Hats, scarves, and belts also make useful gifts for teens.

Heatless Hair Curlers

Cut down on electricity use and landfill by swapping out curling wands for heatless hair curlers, which are very popular at the moment (what’s old is new again!).

My teen asked for them after seeing a bunch of tutorials for using them on Pinterest.

Baking

Do you have a teen that loves being in the kitchen? A cookbook or baking stuff can be a great gift. We have got our teen a set of piping nozzles (as requested) for fancy cup cake frosting.

Oodie-Style Blanket

These ‘oodie’ blanket hoodies are very trendy at the moment, and they are a great way to stay warm, while keeping the heating costs down.

Outdoor Stuff

While my son is a gamer, he also does a ton of camping with Scouts. A compass that was a Christmas gift last year (we got ours from Anaconda) has come in handy while he plans a 30km trek he is leading.

For ideas, check out the article below.

Books For Teens

Real books are back in at the moment, thanks to TikTok – who would have guessed TikTok would get people reading!

Before we get into some book suggestions, there is one

Reading Light

We have this reading light that goes round your neck and it’s great for reading, sewing (which is why I bought it) wearing when you go to the bathroom at night, and any time you need a hands-free torch. It’s LED and USB rechargeable.

Fiction Books

Fiction books should always be based on the recipient’s interests. A great way to save money and reduce waste is to buy lightly-used, second hand books.

If you’re not sure what your teen likes to read, then a gift card is a great alternative.

Non-Fiction Books

Non-fiction books, on the other hand, are a great way to broaden horizons. Some non-fiction book ideas for teens:

• Volunteer: A Traveller’s Guide to Making a Difference Around the World
• How to be a Scout by Bear Grylls
• The Daily Stoic Journal. The original book is also worth reading.
• Decomposition Book. A journal made from recycled materials. A fountain pen would go well with a journal.
• Evernote Moleskine. Easily upload your notes to the cloud.
• The Teenager’s Guide to Money
• 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens
• Learning How to Learn for Kids and Teens
• Penny Chic – About saving money on clothes
• Do Hard Things – Written by teens for teens (bit religious)
• Life Skills 101: All You Need, But Won’t Learn in School – Ivi Green

There are lots of gift ideas for teens who don’t need more stuff.

Avoid fast fashion and disposable kitsch stuff get something low-waste that they’ll use and love.

Have any other great low-waste gift ideas for teens? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

To see all of the low-waste gift guides, check out the low-waste gift page.

For more gift ideas that might suit your teen, see also: