Waste separation

Households mainly collected waste paper this year

Austria's households collected more than one million tons of packaging and waste paper this year. The EU recycling targets were exceeded. In Austria, the recycling rate for paper packaging is 80 percent, for metal packaging 75 percent and for glass 86 percent.

For plastic packaging, however, it is only a quarter. The EU recycling target for packaging waste is 65% by 2025 and 70% by 2030. "Collecting packaging separately in the right garbage can makes a valuable contribution to conserving resources and protecting the climate," said ARA (Altstoff Recycling Austria) CEO Harald Hauke.

According to ARA estimates, Austrians collected a total of 537,000 tons of paper, 253,800 tons of glass and 230,300 tons of light and metal packaging separately this year.

This is how much waste Austrians collected in 2024.

From January 2025, packaging such as detergent containers, yoghurt pots, potato chips and food cans will be collected together throughout Austria in the yellow garbage can or yellow bag. This does not apply to plastic drinks bottles and drinks cans, for which there will then be a one-way deposit. Joint collection is already underway in Vienna, Lower Austria, Carinthia and Salzburg.

ARA assumes that significantly more plastic packaging will be collected next year as a result of the change.