Farce

Organic waste from the Ländle is disposed of in Lower Austria

Since this year, Vorarlberg's organic waste has been disposed of in Germany - absurd enough. But now it turns out that the waste is too wet and is therefore transported many hundreds of kilometers to Lower Austria. 

Back in December 2022, a special kind of waste deal caused a shake of the head: At the time, it emerged that Vorarlberg's organic waste was to be processed in Amtzell, Germany, from 2024. While the Lustenau recycling company Loacker disposed of the German organic waste from Ravensburg (as reported by the "Kronenzeitung" newspaper).

This game of ringgit has now been shifted up a gear. As it now turns out, the Vorarlberg organic waste is not at all suitable for processing in Germany - it is too wet, according to the biogas plant AWB Amtzeller Werk für Biogas GmbH in Upper Swabia. The problem is apparently that the mountains of waste in Vorarlberg are pure household waste without garden waste, which results in a liquid consistency that is not suitable for processing in Germany.

Higher supply was justified
This means that the waste is no longer sent to the German plant, but is instead transported hundreds of kilometers by train to Lower Austria - to a waste disposal company that can also process liquid waste. The special twist: Loacker had also submitted an offer for the disposal of the Vorarlberg organic waste at the time. However, this was higher than the one from Germany. However, the Vorarlberg Association of Municipalities, which awarded the contract, was forced to award the contract to the cheaper provider. The Loacker offer is also said to have been more expensive because the company was aware of the special consistency of the waste - and therefore also of the additional work involved.

Searching for causes
In any case, the current situation will not be a permanent solution. The plant in Amtzell is already looking for a solution. The Vorarlberg organic waste does not meet the "standardized quality", says AWB press spokesman Tobias Zwisler. The tender had mentioned liquid and solid components. They are currently looking for the "cause", which for him could also lie in the technical area, such as a problem during loading. The municipal association is also currently considering how the waste could be made less liquid, for example by mixing in other materials.

However, this would then be waste treatment, no longer collection - and different legislation applies to this...