Graz main square

Trouble at the sausage stall: where to put deposit bottles?

Gerd Gutmann is unsettled by the planned regulation and fears a lot of extra work.(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

There is resentment among Graz stallholders. From 2025, they will have to take back bottles and cans, but there is no storage space.

Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) is pushing ahead with a new deposit system for cans and plastic bottles - the Viennese sausage vendors have just countered with a protest under the motto "out of bounds and deposit". The background: sellers of deposit items are supposed to take them back from 2025 - but the vendors simply don't have the space to do so.

There is also resentment in Styria: "I am in the fortunate position of having a warehouse. But still: the stacking, the counting," says Gerd Gutmann during a visit to "Krone" on Graz's main square. He has already contacted Coca-Cola and the market office to find out the details. They would put a vending machine between the stalls, he was told. However, he couldn't really make heads or tails of the discussions: "It's typically Austrian - they make a law and don't know how to handle it," says Gutmann.

August Krivec sells sausages at "Stand 5" in Graz.(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

August Krivec from "Standl 5" is also not enthusiastic. "That would be a big problem for us, I can't really imagine it," he says. He is particularly concerned about sorting and temporary storage behind the counter. This is because the bottles and cans must not be squeezed together as before - the barcode must remain legible for the machine. For the time being, however, Krivec wants to wait and see: "I'll be surprised to see what really happens."