How to do it

Separating waste correctly: Not as easy as you think

114,175 tons of residual waste was generated in Tyrol alone in 2021.(Bild: Birbaumer Johanna, Krone KREATIV)

Today is International Waste Separation Day. Our country is not bad at recycling, but there is room for improvement. With the right knowledge, every individual can help to save waste and therefore money. Experts explain the urban-rural divide in recycling and why not all plastic can go in the yellow garbage can. 

More than a quarter of the waste produced in Tyrol ends up in residual waste. This doesn't have to be the case: according to the Tyrolean residual waste analysis 2018/19, more than half of this could be recycled. According to Martin Baumann from Umwelt Verein Tirol, the population in the countryside is "better behaved" than in the city: "This is partly due to the anonymity. In the countryside, neighbors will talk to me if I don't separate properly."

And that's a good thing, because recyclables that are contaminated due to incorrect separation are a major problem for waste management, as Alfred Egger, Chairman of Abfallwirtschaft Tirol, explains: "Take organic waste, for example. Small parts are very difficult to filter in composting." In the worst case, they can end up back on the field with the composted waste. Egger also warns of another mistake that costs a lot of money.