Event report

The participants of the event explored the theme of zero waste, i.e. zero waste, where we talked about solutions that could be implemented by anyone who could immediately learn for a greener, more waste-saving and cleaner Europe. Bálint Horváth spoke about the concept of linear and circular economy and the differences between them. Stressed the importance of the transition as resources are becoming scarce and waste storage is lacking. The aim is not to waste anything and try to recycle already used products as a secondary raw material, and to avoid the generation of waste. This requires the production of long-lasting products that are easy to recycle. The participants agreed that the long-term goal is to reduce the consumption of materials in the economy, but this also requires a shift in consumer attitudes. Zsolt Bauer pointed out that the day of overconsumption (the day on which consumption reaches the capacity that the Earth can handle) is approaching rapidly to the beginning of the year. We abuse Earth’s potential, overconsume, overuse, overproduce. In addition to material intensity, particular attention should be paid to energy intensity, the main aspect of which is to increase energy savings and energy efficiency. It is the legislator’s responsibility to legislate to support the transition to a circular economy. Andi Tóth talked about how to achieve these zero waste goals in everyday life. Reducing garbage is a good awareness-raising process, but it’s not enough and it doesn't matter how people do that. The participants agreed on the importance of simple changes that anyone can make and have quickly visible results, but we need to do more, we need to reduce our daily consumption. It would be important to take into account the life cycle of products in our purchases. A good alternative to this could be the purchase of second-hand goods or rethinking their function after use. Overall, the participants agreed that the most important thing is to support people’s change of mindset, thereby reducing possession beds, slowing down the rushing lifestyle and changing the “disposable society”.