Zero Waste - a key instrument towards a green society Case Study: Romania

The economic crisis proves, among other things, that the current "take, make and waste" mentality of human society has reached its limit. Everyday we find more proofs that we have to change our way of living : taking care of the scarce resources, taking care of the natural capital, avoiding emission of greenhouse gases, ensuring opportunities for everyone to develop and live in a clean environment and a well-balanced society. Romania has, comparatively with the other European countries,an exceptional natural capital but, by contrast, in Romania resource consumption and waste quantities are high, exceeding the carrying capacities of the natural environment. This paper aims to discuss three aspects, namely: Why Romania needs to move towards a green society? Why Zero Waste should it be considered as an option? What are the issues raised by the implementation of a Zero Waste system in Romania? The paper is structured in three parts that follow the three main questions mentioned above. The research makes use of various types of qualitative and quantitative data collected from different sources such as publications, statistics, surveys, but we also rely on elements of action research (including personal experience and observation). This paper reveals that the shift towards a green society is desirable for Romania, also that Zero Waste could be an effective way which corresponds to the Romanian needs on its way to a sustainable society. This study represents a fairly small intervention, only a beginning, further research being required.