Austria has two laws dealing with beverage container recycling. One, to ensure the success of the refillables system, put a deposit on refillable bottles. The other set target recycling rates for beverage containers to be achieved by 2000.
1990 ORDER CONCERNING REFILLABLE PLASTIC BOTTLES
| Name | Ordinance on Taking Back and Deposit Payments for Refillable Plastic Beverage Containers (Federal Law Gazette No 513/1990 as amended by Federal Law Gazette II No 440/2001) [1] |
| Law Summary | Requires deposits on refillable PET bottles. (Non-refillable plastic containers are exempt.) |
| Date Implemented | 1 July, 1990; Amended in 2001 and implemented again in 2002. |
| Containers Covered | Refillable PET bottles. |
| Amount of Deposit |
40¢EU deposit per PET container. |
| Fees and Taxes | Voluntary recycling fee of U.S. $0.02 - $0.08 on one-way containers |
| Program Success |
Refillable Containers comprise the following percentages of market share: Beer 95% Cans 60% |
Details
In the 1990s, the Austrian government introduced various ordinances regarding waste management and container recycling, implementing an ordinance for a deposit scheme only for refillable plastic containers. Though successful at the time, the number of beverages sold in refillable containers have decreased in the last two decades, in tandem with a rise in beverages sold in non-refillable containers.
Source: Reloop Platform's "Beverage sales by container type in Austria." 2015.
In July 2020, the Austrian Environment Ministry announced a deposit-return system on single use containers (plastic and metal) along with refillable containers. This is part of a greater 3-point plan which includes implementing legally-binding quotas for the percentage of containers that are refillable, and having plastic producers bear the cost of the newly introduced EU plastic tax. Environment minister Leonore Gewessler says they intend to require 25% of beverages to be sold in refillable containers by 2023, increasing to 40% in 2025 and 55% in 2030. [2]
1992 FEDERAL ORDER FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF GOALS FOR THE REDUCTION AND RECOVERY OF WASTE FROM BEVERAGE CONTAINER PACKAGING AND RELATED PACKAGING
| Law Summary | Sets recycling/reuse targets for beverage containers to be achieved by January 1, 2000. |
| Date Implemented | October 9, 1992 |
| Containers Covered | unknown |
| Beverages Covered |
The recycling target requirements apply to beer, soft drinks, mineral water, fruit juice and fruit drinks. |
Sources
[1] "National factsheet on separate collection: Austria." Copenhagen Resource Institute. September 2015.
[2] "Austria plans deposit for single-use beverage containers, quota for refillable bottles." Europäischer Wirtschaftsdienst GmbH, 9 July, 2020.
Last Updated on 22 March 2021.