— By Plasteurope.com staff — 

Cheaper primary raw materials are currently affecting the recycling sector, in Austria as well. Last year, PET to PET Recycling Austria (Müllendorf; www.pet2pet.at) sent 31,354 t of PET beverage bottles for recycling, equal to a reduction of 2.8% compared with the previous year. Christian Strasser, managing director of PET to PET, sees the large price differences between new PET and more expensive rPET as the reason for the negative volume development. 

In Austria, a one-way deposit has been levied on PET plastic bottles and beverage cans since 1 January 2025. In order to be prepared for the increase in the number of returns, the recycling company is investing in the construction of an additional silo with a capacity of 140 m³ and is also building a roof over a 2,400 m² storage area in order to protect big bags containing recyclate from the effects of the weather.

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The silo facility was extended last year, a workshop was built, and an office building was also constructed for the company’s 96 employees. At the plant in Müllendorf, two processing lines produce either PET flakes or PET granulate – both in food-grade quality. 

Since 1 January, lightweight and metal packaging has also been collected throughout Austria in yellow bins and bags. Recyclers are hoping for a significant increase in the quantities collected for feeding into the recycling process.

But there is still work to be done. A recycling rate of 25% was achieved for plastic packaging last year. Although this was above the EU target of 22.5% for 2024, it is well below the EU recycling rate of 50%, which must be achieved by the end of 2025.

— Translated by Jon Relton