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★Mark us as a preferred sourceWhat do we buy? What do we throw away? Do we repair it or replace it? These look like everyday choices, yet they decide how many resources we use and how much waste we create. This is the message of the European Week for Waste Reduction 2026, and Hungarian registration has now opened. The week runs from 21 to 29 November, and actions can be registered until 9 November.
In short: The European Week for Waste Reduction 2026 takes place from 21 to 29 November, and Hungarian actions can be registered on szelektalok.hu until 9 November. This year’s focus is material sufficiency, under the slogan “Every decision counts! Every resource has value!” Last year, Hungarian organisers delivered 598 actions.
When and how can you join the European Week for Waste Reduction 2026?
This year’s campaign – the 18th edition at European level – runs from 21 to 29 November. Organisers welcome entries in five categories, with a registration deadline of 9 November 2026.
Hungarian action developers can register their initiatives at www.szelektalok.hu/hulladekcsokkentesihet2026. Questions can be sent to hulladekcsokkentesihet@kszgysz.hu.
The national coordinator is the Hungarian National Energy Agency (Nemzeti Energetikai Ügynökség Zrt.), commissioned by the Ministry for the Living Environment (Élő Környezetért Felelős Minisztérium). The professional partner is the Association of Environmental Service Providers and Manufacturers (KSZGYSZ).
Material sufficiency: this year’s focus
The 2026 campaign centres on material sufficiency: using material resources more consciously and more sparingly. The message is simple – the age of waste is over, and reducing waste is in everyone’s fundamental interest.
The slogan sums it up: “Every decision counts! Every resource has value!”
The key idea is that the fight against waste does not start at the bin, but before we even buy something. It is worth asking whether we are meeting a real need or just a passing want. After all, we only need less of what is unnecessary. As the organisers put it: if we know how much is enough, there will be enough tomorrow as well.
The recently published National Communication Action Plan of the Ministry for the Living Environment also stresses that sustainability works best when it reaches people through clear, practical, everyday examples. In the transition to a circular economy, industry and policymakers are not the only players – the choices and participation of ordinary people matter too.
Who can take part, and with what kind of action?
Schools, kindergartens, municipalities, NGOs, businesses, public institutions, local communities and individuals are all welcome. Based on previous years, participants fall into one of five groups: educational institution, association or NGO, business or industry, public authority, and private individual.
There is no need to plan a big event. The organisers are specifically looking for creative, practical, locally feasible and long-lasting initiatives, such as:
- consciously changing a habit at an institution, workplace or even within a family,
- organising a repair workshop or repair café,
- a swap event or clothes and item exchange,
- community sharing of tools or equipment, or a reuse initiative,
- a conscious shopping challenge for a class, team or family,
- a measurement-based resource-saving programme, for example tracking paper, energy or material use.
A single repair, a swap or a new habit counts – the goal is for an initiative to spark lasting change rather than last only a week.
From litter picking to prevention
This autumn is all about joint action on waste in Hungary: the TeSzedd! – Volunteering for a Clean Hungary campaign is also under way, which we covered in our articles on TeSzedd 2026 registration and the extended deadline (in Hungarian).
The two campaigns complement each other well. TeSzedd! deals with litter that has already been discarded, while the November week starts one step earlier: it looks at how to stop waste from being created in the first place. According to the waste hierarchy, this is the most effective step of all – the best waste is the waste that is never produced.
Free resources for organisers
Nobody has to come up with a programme on their own. The campaign website offers guides, professional materials, posters, creative assets, action ideas and films on material sufficiency and waste reduction, all free to use. They help a school project day, a workplace campaign or a neighbourhood swap event look professional and attract attention.
Hungary among Europe’s leaders year after year
Hungarian action developers have performed outstandingly in recent years: among the more than ten thousand actions held across Europe, Hungary has consistently finished on the podium. Here is a brief look back at the results.
2020: a record during the pandemic
The focus was on “invisible waste” – the waste generated during manufacturing – as we reported at the time (in Hungarian). Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, participation hit a record: according to the following year’s report, 863 actions took place in Hungary in 2020.
2021–2022: circular communities and textiles
In 2021 the theme was circular communities. In Miskolc, MiReHu launched its Waste Explorer app (in Hungarian), an adventure game guiding children through a waste management site. In 2022 textiles took centre stage (in Hungarian), with a focus on reducing the fashion industry’s footprint and extending the life of clothing.
2023: packaging, and ahead of Sweden
With packaging waste prevention in focus, 284 Hungarian actions were registered, placing Hungary once again among Europe’s leaders, ahead of countries such as Sweden, Austria and Poland. At the national awards ceremony, MiReHu Nonprofit Kft. was among the special prize winners.
2024: food waste and a European top prize
The theme was reducing food waste, with more than 300 organisations and individuals taking part. The biggest success came at European level: the European top prize in the Business/Industry category went to EBKEKSZ, a joint project of Budapest-based Superjuice Kft. and Flash Kutyapékség, which turns juicing by-products into dog biscuits.
2025: e-waste and nearly 600 actions
Under the motto “Value saving: ON – Waste: OFF”, electrical and electronic waste was in the spotlight. When registration closed, 586 Hungarian actions were on the campaign map (in Hungarian), 53 per cent of them run by educational institutions. According to the coordinators, 598 actions were ultimately delivered. We also reported on the 2025 award winners (in Hungarian): in the business and industry category, MiReHu Nonprofit Kft.’s “WEEEsszatérünk…” campaign took first place, and Hotel Palota Lillafüred’s “Re:Palota” theme week came second.
Now it’s our turn
These results show that Hungarian schools, companies, municipalities, NGOs and individuals can compete at the very top of European waste prevention. This year’s theme, material sufficiency, may be closer to our daily lives than ever: it needs no special equipment, just a well-considered decision.
Registration and further information: www.szelektalok.hu/hulladekcsokkentesihet2026 | Email: hulladekcsokkentesihet@kszgysz.hu | Deadline: 9 November 2026
You can find all our earlier reports under the European Week for Waste Reduction tag.
Frequently asked questions about the European Week for Waste Reduction 2026
When does the European Week for Waste Reduction 2026 take place?
The European Week for Waste Reduction 2026 runs from 21 to 29 November. It is the 18th edition at European level, during which schools, municipalities, businesses, NGOs and individuals organise their own actions to raise awareness of waste prevention, reuse and a more conscious, more economical use of material resources.
How and until when can I register my action?
Hungarian actions can be registered until 9 November 2026 at www.szelektalok.hu/hulladekcsokkentesihet2026. Organisers accept entries in five categories, and questions can be sent to hulladekcsokkentesihet@kszgysz.hu. Posters, action ideas, films and professional guides are available on the website and can be used freely to help plan your own programme.
What is the focus of the European Week for Waste Reduction 2026?
This year’s focus is material sufficiency: managing material resources more consciously and economically. The slogan is “Every decision counts! Every resource has value!” Organisers are looking for actions such as repair workshops, swap events, community sharing, conscious shopping challenges or measurement-based resource-saving programmes that can spark lasting changes in habits.
Who can take part in the campaign?
Anyone who organises their own waste reduction action can take part. Participants typically fall into five groups: educational institutions, associations and NGOs, businesses and industry, public authorities, and private individuals. No big event is needed: changing a habit within a family, workplace or institution can also be a valuable action worth registering.
How many actions took place in Hungary last year?
In 2025, according to the coordinators, 598 Hungarian actions were delivered during the e-waste-themed campaign week. When registration closed, 586 actions appeared on the campaign map, 53 per cent of them organised by educational institutions. Among the more than ten thousand actions held across Europe, Hungary once again finished on the podium.
What has Hungary achieved in previous years?
Hungary has been among Europe’s leaders year after year. In 2020, despite the pandemic, 863 Hungarian actions took place, and in 2023 its 284 registered actions put it ahead of Sweden, Austria and Poland. In 2024, the EBKEKSZ project by Superjuice Kft. and Flash Kutyapékség won the European top prize in the Business/Industry category.
Sources:
KSZGYSZ press release, szelektalok.hu, Hungarian Government Offices, magyarzold.hu, dontwasteit.hu archive
