Surveying seven to 12-year-olds, recent research has revealed that two thirds (67 per cent) would be willing to forego a shiny new plastic toy this year, if it meant they could help save our planet – with ridding our oceans of plastic as their number one Christmas wish. The Modern Milkman has discovered that eight in ten children think their parents spend up to a whopping £10,000 each year at Christmas. While parents do try to make every Christmas special, the annual festive splurge comes hand in hand with leftover waste, with wrapping paper (70 per cent), plastic packaging (42 per cent) and uneaten food (34 per cent) as the items seven to 12-year-olds think will fill the rubbish bin at the end of Christmas day! Modern Milkman has commissioned research to explore the sustainable sacrifices seven to 12 year olds are willing to make in the name of planetary protection. Simon Mellin, CEO and founder at Modern Milkman, said: “Just like us grown-up’s, it’s apparent that children also want to do their part to help save the planet, so it’s important that we empower them to feel like they can make small changes that add up to be part of the solution.” As we all try to make our money go further this year, parents will be pleased to hear that rather than splashing out on the latest toy money was spent helping to provide items for families less fortunate. What’s more, the gift of spending time volunteering as a family to help make a positive change in their local community, is also at the top of children’s Christmas wish lists this year. There is still time to be put on Santa’s naughty list, so the Modern Milkman has unearthed what children think they can do to make sure they remain firmly on the nice list this Christmas. The complete list of what Gen Alpha think will put them on Santa’s ‘nice’ list is: 1. Being good for Mum and Dad (72 per cent) 2. Doing well in school (53 per cent) 3. Looking after the environment by recycling plastic and packaging (38 per cent) 4. Learning more about how to help the planet (16 per cent) 5. Volunteering to help the environment, eg, litter picking (13 per cent) Looking ahead, the next generation has crowned recycling more as their number one eco-focused New Year resolution for 2023, with growing their own produce (18 per cent) and limiting plastic use (16 per cent) close behind. Simon Mellin, added: “The survey results show that environmental challenges are having a prominent effect on the children of today, and it’s encouraging to see that they want to make a conscious effort to protect the planet throughout the Christmas period. At Modern Milkman, our mission is to empower young people to voice their eco-concerns and we will continue to do our part in the fight against plastic waste.” To learn more about the research findings, and for tips on how to help the planet, visit the Modern Milkman blog, at: https://blog.themodernmilkman.co.uk/the-eco-concerns-of-the-next-generation-revealedwebsite.