Salzburg more conscientious when separating waste – salzburg.ORF.at
environment
In the previous year, the amount of waste in Salzburg increased significantly. However, significantly more waste is also separated, according to local disposal companies. This not only has to do with the costs, but also with the scarcity of raw materials and increasing environmental awareness.
In the city of Salzburg, the amount of waste has increased by almost one percent to a total of 79,200 tons. This means that last year there was 509 kilograms of waste for every Salzburg resident. Around 50 percent of this was collected separately and thus recycled. More than before.
More waste could be recycled
“As costs go up, people become more aware of the breakup. New chipboard is made from waste wood, new plastics are made from plastic films, old cardboard is made from waste paper, and new cardboard is made from cardboard. There are also many ways to create resources for new things. This is circular economy,” says Johann Rieger, he is the managing director of the largest private waste disposal company of the same name in Salzburg.
“If disposal costs rise, more will be recycled”
Rieger disposes of and recycles at locations in Neumarkt am Wallersee, Linz, Vienna as well as Traunstein and Tittmoning in Bavaria. The quantities are increasing: “They are constantly increasing. You can tell from the population that much more is being separated. It is due to environmental awareness and of course the rising costs. As soon as the increase, more will be separated. That’s an advantage for everyone because we have a lot more resources for certain materials that are very scarce on the market,” says Rieger.
Construction waste is increasingly being used for new buildings
In the case of plastic windows alone, 100 tons are recycled every week at the Austrian Rieger locations. Building material recycling is becoming more and more important. After a housing estate in Schwarzach (Pongau), for example, the Salzburg housing association is currently building a housing project in Seekirchen (Flachgau) – also with recyclable building materials from demolition material.