please click here for the pdf-version - RECYCLING magazin

Feature | Separation System
ers get the same message from both the municipality and
ARA. On the other side, the communication is flexible and
regionally adaptable. Because waste consultants work in
small regions they have a detailed knowledge of the local
situation. That is why they are able to react fast and accurately.
The advantage of this regional communication becomes
visible especially for local changes in the collection systems:
without almost any time and information loss adjustments
can be communicated correctly to the affected inhabitants.
This was proved recently when the collection of lightweight
packaging was changed to plastic bottle collection in several
regions in Austria.
This change was made possible because of landfill ordinance
regulations and was realised in coordination with
the local communities. It showed outstanding results shortly
after introduction. Not just the quantity of the collected
plastic bottles could be raised but also the quality of the
collected material has improved incredibly. More than three
million Austrians are using this new collection system and
the amount of impurities within the yellow bin for lightweight
packaging has decreased. The comparative value averages
to 19 per cent throughout Austria. Even the collection in the
federal capital Vienna reached a quota which never seemed
to be achievable in a city of over a million inhabitants – less
than 15 per cent impurities.
In total, the Austrians collect about 740,000 tonnes of
packaging per year. The ARA system provides more than 1.2
million collection bins and additionally 1.4 million households
are serviced by door-to-door-collection for lightweight
packaging.
In comparison – the competitive situation in Germany leads
in the opposite direction. Communication measures towards
the consumers have ceased almost completely because
none of the collection services is willing to spend money
on something that other competitors benefit from. As a
10
result the quota of impurities within the collection is rising
dramatically and bins are removed to reduce costs. But
thinning out the collection system causes dissatisfied consumers
who are no longer willing to collect packaging properly.
At the moment experts estimate the impurity quota of
lightweight-packaging amounts between 40 and 65 per
cent.
90 per cent support the separate collection
“In Austria we are on the right track. Our customers, the
public authority and the waste co-operatives confirm this.
The consumers also approve of the system: the excellent
collection morale, the good collection quality and the high
acceptance prove this,” explains Stiglitz and refers to a
recently conducted survey of the Austrian Gallup Institute
on behalf of the ARA system. Ninety per cent of the interviewed
persons said that the collection of recyclable materials
makes sense.
Ninety-five per cent collect packaging separately from
residual waste and six out of ten Austrians don’t see any
additional effort for separate collection. Seventy-six per
cent cannot imagine living without separate collection.
Two reasons for acceptance are the tight net of collection
containers all over the country and the knowledge of the
citizens about the value of recyclable materials for the protection
of natural resources: eight out of ten interviewees
underline that the clean disposal of recyclable waste is also
important for tourism and a positive public sentiment of
Austria.
“It was always very important to us, to explain to people not
only how to collect but also why. Only if citizens like you and
me understand the purpose of the separate collection, they
are favourable to it,” Stiglitz describes one factor of success
for the high acceptance of the ARA system by Austrian citizens.