Provincial Waste Management Plan Styria - Abfallwirtschaft - Abfall ...

Provincial Waste Management Plan Styria - 2005
raw materials (sand, lime, sodium) can be saved in the sense of sustainable material flow
management. In Styria, waste glass is recovered in the glassworks of Stölzle Oberglas AG in
Köflach 31 . However, preference should be given to refilling bottles and glasses (controlled reuse
system) before material recovery of waste glass.
Flat glass collected and temporarily stored at Fa. Schirmbeck in Kraubath is passed on to various
recovery companies according to market requirements. It is not possible to produce packaging glass
from flat glass!
3.4.4.3 Waste metal
The separate collection of metals (scrap) helps to save raw materials, energy, and landfill volumes.
Iron can be recovered as secondary raw material either immediately or after pre-processing in
steelworks. Aluminium, frequently used as packaging material or in the automobile industry, can be
transformed into a high-quality product by re-melting. This requires only around 5% of the energy that
would be needed to produce the same amount of aluminum from crude ore.
In Styria, four companies melt waste metals: Marienhütte in Graz processes tinplate cans and other
ferrous packaging metals. Ferrous scrap is melted by VOEST in Donawitz, Böhlerwerke in
Kapfenberg, as well as Breitenfelder Eisenwerke.
3.4.4.4 Lightweight fraction and synthetic materials
The sectoral recycling company ÖKK 32 is responsible for the recovery of plastic packagings. In order
to obtain unmixed fractions, packaging lightweight fractions collected in the "yellow bag" or "yellow
container" are sorted. The fractions gained are converted into recyclate, which is then further
processed into marketable products. Among others, the following fractions are materially recycled:
• LDPE foils (low density polyethylen): Most foil packaging is made of this material; waste bags,
pipes, buckets, etc. are produced from the recyclate of these foils.
• HDPE (high density polyethylen): This plastic is mainly used for the production of bottles for dish
liquids, detergents, and cleaning agents and is recycled for the same purpose. Mixed with LDPE
recyclate, it can be utilized for the production of profiles, pipes, etc.
• PET bottles: PET (polyethylene terephthalate) is mainly utilized for light and break-proof single
use bottles and controlled reuse system bottles. Compared to other synthetic packaging materials,
PET is relatively expensive; accordingly, the demand for the recyclate is high. In new products,
PET recyclate can be utilized as middle layer in drink bottles. Dish liquid bottles, foils, or other
packagings can be entirely produced from PET recyclate. The recyclate can also be used for
fibers, e.g. in anoraks or sleeping bags.
• PS (polystyrene) and PP (polypropylene) are frequently utilized as cans for yogurt and other dairy
products. Recycling products are e.g. flower pots, components for the electrical industry, etc.
• EPS - foamed materials: EPS (expanded polystyrene, Styro-foam) is mainly utilized in
construction for thermal insulation purposes.
31 Database of the Umweltbundesamt, www.umweltbundesamt.at
32 Österreichischer Kunststoffkreislauf AG ("Austrian Plastics Circuit")
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