Sending of the OÖ. State Waste Association on the LRH report

2023-06-30 08:39:47

Linz (OTS) – The LRH report published on June 29, 2023 is from the point of view of Upper Austria. State Waste Management Association (OÖ. LAV) to state the following. Waste prevention depends to a large extent on raising consumer awareness. The waste consultants of the Upper Austrian environmental professionals, the 15 district waste associations (BAV) and the 3 statutory cities already start with educational work in compulsory schools. The LAV promotes campaigns nationwide, including to reduce food waste via the Facebook page “Is nu guat” (21,600 followers) and on www.isnuguat.at, with reference to the longer shelf life of the food. Cake takeaway boxes, reusable crockery and reusable cups are also made available for cheaper purchase with the support of the environmental state of Upper Austria. “But persuading people to avoid waste is as difficult as drilling hard boards throughout Austria!” states LAV Chairman Mayor Roland Wohlmuth.

To support reuse, the LAV has been coordinating the ReVital project since 2009. In 25 ReVital Shop partner shops in Upper Austria, 10,000 tons of goods have been saved from waste disposal and reused since the beginning. In the Corona years there were also slumps in sales figures, but the first half of 2023 (volume forecast: 600 tons) gives us confidence again.

With a separation rate of 74%, the separate collection of waste from households in Upper Austria is actually internationally excellent. The comprehensive network of waste material collection centers (ASZ) is decisive for this. The amount of residual waste remaining in the gray bins varies in the districts between 80 and 190 kg/inhabitant.a. This amount is influenced by the commercial waste similar to household waste included in the residual waste.

The state waste association can only partially understand the LRH’s criticism of the Upper Austria-specific disposal solution in the incinerators in Wels and Linz. The aim of bundling the residual waste from 15 districts and 2 statutory cities in a contractual solution was to be able to use the economically more favorable disposal prices for larger quantities and to combine them with several years of disposal security in Upper Austria. The fact that larger purchase volumes offer lower prices is a basic principle in business and does not stop at waste management. The last contract extension of the Upper Austrian waste solution has also proven itself in the Corona years, because priority disposal security for the residual and bulky waste from households could be guaranteed at all times, including the waste from test stations.

However, it is important for the managing director of the LAV to note that neither in the LAV nor in the BAV did the quantity scale lead to awareness-raising measures for waste avoidance or waste separation being reduced or discontinued in order to bring more quantities into the waste treatment!

“There is also no need to pay any penalties if we send less waste to incineration!” From mid-2026, new agreements will be needed anyway, so we will take the recommendations of the LRH into account as much as possible!”

However, the challenges in waste management are becoming increasingly complex anyway. Extended manufacturer responsibility will be reflected in deposit systems (on beverage bottles from 2025) or additional collection structures (e.g. for textiles). If the goal of having to dispose of less and less in the residual waste bin succeeds, one will also have to look around for new waste fee and financing systems so that all fixed costs can also be covered.

“The suggestion of the LRH to solve these challenges through stronger cooperation between the municipalities in the district and the BAV across districts has been a central concern for us for a long time. Such strategy processes have already been initiated and will continue to be given greater consideration in the years to come,” says Roland Wohlmuth, Chairman of Upper Austria. LAV