WASTE AND CLIMATE CHANGE 10am-11.30am Wed 25 March

Modern consumer society is currently trapped in a “take-make-waste” cycle, with the average person in the UK generating 620kg of waste annually—a figure contributing to 5.5% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. This crisis is driven by an economic model where it is often cheaper to replace items than to fix them, leading to a projected 70% increase in global waste by 2050. To prevent this refuse from flooding landfills and the environment, urgent regulation is needed to transition toward a circular economy. By prioritizing the repair, reuse, refurbishment, and recycling of goods, we can break the link between economic growth and environmental degradation.