Full length article
A historical-technical analysis of packaging waste flows in Vienna

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2023.106975Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • Cities play a key role in supplying sufficient packaging waste for recycling and circular economy.

  • Time series of material flows help to see which measures increase packaging waste supply for recycling.

  • Separate collection of packaging waste is important, but technical sorting should be implemented as well.

  • This information helps to recycle more packaging waste.

  • More information on the quality of packaging waste from separate collection and technical sorting is required.

Abstract

Urban waste management plays an important role in providing secondary raw materials for packaging waste recycling. To assess measures for this provision, material flows of packaging waste for 2006–2020 in Vienna were modeled and evaluated by the separate collection rate and sorting rate. Results showed increasing separate collection rates for the years 2006-2020 for plastic bottles (20%-35%), aluminum beverage packaging (10%-22%), and beverage cartons (10%-18%) achieved by commingled collection and more collection points. Values for other aluminum (6%-5%) and ferrous metal packaging (18%-16%), however, decreased. Glass packaging increased slightly (53%-55%) and paper packaging remained constant (56%). The sorting rate of metal packaging increased significantly due to bottom ash sorting. To increase the provision of secondary raw materials, better communication with consumers and the improvement of technical sorting of mixed waste and bottom ash should be implemented. Door-to-door collection of beverage cartons, metals, and plastics should be carefully tested and evaluated before implementation.

Keywords

Circular economy
Material flow analysis
Packaging waste
Separate collection rate
Sorting rate

Abbreviations

Al-BP
Aluminum beverage packaging
Al-OP
Aluminum other packaging
Al-P
Aluminum packaging
ARA
Altstoff Recycling Austria
BC
Beverage carton
CC-P
Corrugated cardboard packaging
F
Flow
Fe-P
Ferrous metal packaging
G-P
Glass packaging
HDPE-P
HDPE packaging
IBA
Incineration bottom ash
LPW
Lightweight packaging waste
MA48
Magistratsabteilung 48
MDC
Moisture and dirt content
MSW
Municipal solid waste
MSWI
Municipal solid waste incineration
P
Process
PET-BP
PET beverage packaging
PC-P
Paper & cardboard packaging
PCCC-P
Paper, cardboard & corrugated cardboard packaging
PcPW
Post-consumer packaging waste
SR
Sorting rate
SCR
Separate collection rate
SRM
Secondary raw material
TC
Transfer coefficient

Data availability

  • Data will be made available on request.

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