Guest Blog: Collecting, Sorting and Recycling around Vienna!

After 3 years of not being able to do the Study Tour, TBMM and ISWA managed to pick it back up and run it once again in Vienna, Austria. There were many interest from many parts of the world, though there were also some issues with visa applications from potential participants, we still ended up with over than half of the capacity – and almost every participant came from a different country!  

We kicked off the 5-day tour in Vienna at ISWA Austria’s office with welcome presentations from Anne Scheinberg, Chair of ISWA Working Group on Recycling and Waste Minimisation – the working group who initiated this study tour as well – Arne Ragossnig, the President of ISWA Austria and Vice President of ISWA international, and Michael Merstallinger from TBMM – the local organiser. We also listened to several experts throughout the day and shared our experiences from our countries: Matthias Neitsch from Re-Use Austria on Circular Economy in a Nutshell; Christoph Scharff from ARA on Extended Producer Responsibility; Nicola Herrmann from MA48 on Waste Management System in Vienna; Andreas Bartl from TU Wien on Strategies in Resource Management and Circular Economy for Textiles. The day ended with a guided walking tour around the beautiful city. 

ISWA Austria HQ. Introduction by Arne Ragossnig, President ISWA Austria

During the tour, we visited many waste treatment plants and collection sites outside Vienna and we spent couple of nights in Wels and Maria Taferl. We learned about how the Austrian were treating the biowaste, commercial waste, sorting plastic packaging waste, glass recycling, separating the waste collection, and running Re-Use shops. In the Re-Use Shop ran by LAVU called Revital, they even offer incentives in form of points for people who bring in their waste for recyling and once they collect X amount of points, they can choose a reward. We also visited a social-economic-enterprise for recycling / re-use of used plastic-textiles and other waste.  

Glass Recycling Technical Tour, Vetropack, Pöchlarn

The tour ended back in Vienna, at one of the Re-Use shops called Tandler, where we got to listen to: Melanie Selzer from Elektro Recycling Austria on Management on E-Waste and Producer Responsibility; Ulrike Volk from MA48 on  

48er-Tandler Successfull Way for Waste Prevention; Michael Merstallinger from TBMM on Recycling of Plastics from WEEE; and Georgina Nitzsche from ISWA Women of Waste on Introduction to Women of Waste task force. We had a chance to go explore the shop and purchase some stuff ourselves too. 

LAVU Re-Use Shop Revital, Wels

Personally, as this was only my third experience in visiting waste treatment plants, I find the study tour really helpful and eye-opening, and a great way to network. We do hope the participants take as much insights back as I did, and that it could be beneficial in their work and projects!