From 2023, the collection of plastic packaging will be standardized across Austria. All plastic packaging may then be collected in the yellow bin or bag. In addition to Vienna, the changes also affect Lower Austria, Carinthia and Salzburg. In some federal states, metal cans can also be thrown into the yellow bin.
AUSTRIA. From next year you can dispose of plastic bottles and beverage cartons in the yellow bin. From this point on, however, all plastic packaging and other lightweight packaging will also be included. This applies, for example, to packaging such as fruit cups, yoghurt pots, bubble wrap, packaging for semi-hard cheese or sausage slices and outer packaging, e.g. B. of mineral water bottles.
“For every type of plastic packaging waste, it’s time to put it in the yellow bin in January. This means that there are uniform collection rules throughout Austria for the first time – this makes collection easier and more efficient,” said Leonore Gewessler (Greens). The minister hopes that the change will result in more collection volumes, which in turn will lead to more recycling material – which saves valuable raw materials, the minister said. “In this way we can recycle more in the future and protect our environment and our climate.” This is expected to increase the collection of plastic packaging by 20 percent.
From 2025, not only plastic, but also metal packaging will go into the “yellow bag”. The metal containers then disappear from the public garbage collection islands. Some federal states, such as Vienna, already prefer this and are already collecting metals in the yellow bin.
EU requirements even stricter
This measure also makes a significant contribution to achieving the recycling quotas applicable throughout Europe. By 2025, 50 percent of packaging will have to be recycled, and by 2030 55 percent. The recycling rate is currently 25 percent. There are also ambitious collection quotas for plastic beverage bottles: 77 percent by 2025, 90 percent by 2029.
So far, plastic packaging waste has been collected in very different ways in Austria. In some places all plastic packaging was collected, in others only plastic bottles and beverage cartons were separated from the residual waste. With the turn of the year, collecting plastic packaging is now being made easier across the country.
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