Austria – new plastic bottles recycling schemes in Vienna & Salzburg

A pilot scheme that has been introduced in Vienna and Salzburg, in which the yellow bin and the yellow sack are used to collect plastic bottles only, has proved to be a big success. The scheme is also running in lower Austria and is due to be launched parts of the Carinthia province in mid 2005. By the end of 2004, the scheme should serve around 3 million people.



There has been a high degree of acceptance of the scheme amongst members of the public, many of who regard it as ‘‘good‘‘, or ‘‘very good‘‘. These are the results of a study undertaken in Vienna and Salzburg by ARGEV Packaging Recycling Company m.b.H.



It has been proposed that in the future, the yellow bin and yellow sack should only be used to collect plastic bottles, while the remaining plastic waste should be thrown away with ordinary household rubbish, to be either treated thermally, or at mechanical biological plant. According to one of ARGEV‘‘s managing directors, Dr Franz Buchal, the pilot scheme has helped to increase recycling and waste sorting behaviour. In fact, the quantity of contaminants had fallen from 23% to less than 10%. Furthermore, not only has the plastic bottle fraction more than doubled in some cases, the public are beginning to collect and sort more plastic packaging than previously. The cost to the municipalities for additional waste being diverted from the yellow bins and sacks to the ordinary waste bin (which has been lower than anticipated) is being covered by ARGEV. Dr Buchal states that it will be interesting to see whether the municipalities will provide inhabitants with larger volume bins for residual waste. The culture shift towards full acceptance of waste sorting, which could not have been envisaged two years ago, is now practiced nationwide.



The scheme was introduced in parts of Vienna at the beginning of September and is being introduced incrementally to all parts of the city. The MA48 plans to install 7000 new bins.



The bins have been specially redesigned for the collection of plastic bottles. The opening for throwing in the bottles has a neck built at an angle so that children and the elderly can use it easily. The lid can no longer be opened using a pedal, as with the old design.



Due to the increased quantities of plastic bottles that will be collected with scheme, it will no longer be economically viable to sort and separate them by hand. Therefore, the trend is towards fully automated sorting plants. There are currently three in Austria in Lower Austria, Upper Austria and Vorarlberg.



The concern that in the foreseeable future plastic waste other than plastic bottles will no longer be collected is unfounded. According to Dr Buchal, the plastic material recycling quota of 30% will make it necessary to collect plastic packaging other than bottles. Furthermore, there will be more places where plastic packaging can be collected.



Experts were said to be surprised by the public‘‘s unquestioning acceptance of the changeover. The publicity campaign that was jointly run by the Ministry of the Environment, Municipalities, interest groups, and the waste management sector, amongst others before the launch of the scheme helped considerably