Pazarlás

Pazarlás is a Hungarian noun meaning wastefulness or squandering of resources, including materials, energy, time, or money. In economics and public discourse, it denotes inefficient or unnecessary consumption that reduces overall welfare. The term is used in phrases such as energia-pazarlás (energy waste) and élelmiszer-pazarlás (food waste).

The concept covers both individual behavior and systemic inefficiencies. Household pazarlás may result from over-purchasing, improper storage, or spoilage; industrial and commercial pazarlás may arise from inefficiencies in production, logistics, or product design that lead to preventable losses. In an environmental context, pazarlás contributes to unnecessary resource depletion and higher emissions.

Causes include lack of information, misaligned price signals, consumer culture that rewards disposability, and inadequate infrastructure for collection, recycling, or recovery.

The consequences are economic costs for households and businesses, environmental harm, and social disparities when resources are squandered that could otherwise improve living conditions.

Mitigation strategies focus on prevention and efficiency: public awareness campaigns, regulation that limits waste, better product design to extend lifetimes, improved inventory and logistics, food waste reduction programs, pricing policies that reflect true costs, and investment in recycling and energy efficiency.