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In order for Austria to achieve the EU's recycling targets by 2025, it needs higher recycling rates and more sorting plants. A joint venture between Der Grüne Punkt, ARA and Bernegger is now building one of the most modern sorting plants in Europe in Upper Austria.
The Altstoff Recycling Austria AG (ARA), DSD - Duales System Holding GmbH & Co. KG (The Green Dot) and the Bernegger GmbH are building a sorting plant for lightweight packaging in Ennshafen, Upper Austria. With an annual sorting capacity of around 100,000 tonnes, this will be one of the most modern facilities in Europe. The joint venture is thus taking an important step towards even more climate protection and to achieve the EU recycling targets from 2025.
Austria must double its recycling of plastic packaging by 2025. With the existing 15 Austrian plants and their sorting capacities of 1,000 to 30,000 tonnes per year, this EU recycling target is currently not achievable. A new high-performance, high-tech sorting plant in Upper Austria will provide a remedy and process around 100,000 tonnes of lightweight packaging from the yellow bin and yellow bag for subsequent recycling every year from 2025.
"When it comes to collecting plastic packaging, we are already successfully making many adjustments with the Austria-wide standardisation and expansion of separate collection from the door. But that alone is not enough, sorting plants play a key role in recycling: they decide what is available as a raw material. This is why we have decided to set up our own state-of-the-art facility together with Der Grüne Punkt and Bernegger. The simple calculation is: 80 x 80 x 80. We need to collect 80 per cent of all packaging, sort out 80 % of it for recycling and achieve a yield of 80 % in the recycling process itself. Then the target of a 50 % recycling rate for plastic packaging can be achieved. Today we are at 58 per cent x 58 per cent x 78 per cent - and a recycling rate of 25 per cent. So we need to double our output in the next three years. With the new sorting plant, we will have the capacity and technology we need in time for 2025."
Christoph Scharff, ARA Board of Directors
At the same time The new plant closes a geographical sorting gap in the north of Austriawhich currently necessitates longer transport routes to more distant sorting facilities in Austria and neighbouring countries. "We are building the plant in the Upper Austrian port of Ennshafen, which is the ideal location due to its geographical location and logistical connections to road, rail and water. This - in conjunction with the Bernegger Group's expertise, particularly in the area of railway logistics - enables us to transporting large quantities in a climate-friendly way in future", says Bernegger Managing Director Kurt Bernegger, and goes on to specify:
"By building the plant in Ennshafen, we are keeping value creation in Austria and creating new jobs in a digitalised, high-tech environment at the future Enns Raw Materials Park."
The investment volume in the new plant amounts to around 60 million euros. ARA and Der Grüne Punkt will ensure the necessary capacity utilisation of the plant.
"Germany is facing the same challenges as Austria; we need to increase recycling rates and thus the sorting depth for lightweight packaging. We are utilising every opportunity to increase the quality and quantity of our packaging sorting. The plant in Upper Austria is an important building block for us to achieve our goals."
Michael WienerCEO of Der Grüne Punkt
A major advantage of the new system: the utilisation of higher capacities ensures Lower unit costs and thus for effective and efficient sorting. The sorted packaging is handed over for recycling and used as unmixed recyclable materials for the manufacture of new products. "With our combined innovative and investment power, we are advancing the circular economy and thus climate protection," concluded the cooperation partners ARA, Der Grüne Punkt and Bernegger.
Source: The Green Dot
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