Correct disposal

What the myths about waste separation are all about

There are several myths surrounding the separation of waste. One of Austria's largest recycling management companies explains.(Bild: Chris Laistler)

If you want to do something good for the environment when sorting your household waste, you need to separate it carefully. Here are some important tips for correct disposal.

Our mountains of waste are growing skywards, too much of it ends up in forests, rivers and oceans around the world. Yet much of it could be recycled. Brantner green solutions, one of Austria's largest recycling management companies, which specializes in sorting waste, aims to recycle as many valuable materials as possible. However, this is only possible with the correct waste separation and the help of all of us. Managing Director Josef Scheidl therefore dispels five common waste myths.

Myth number 1: After collection, everything is thrown together - this is the mother of all waste misconceptions. Disposers would only be doing themselves harm. Pure fractions are best recycled and resold. Everyone benefits from this.

Myth number 2: The waste cycle always ends in landfill or incineration - on the contrary, attempts are made to return as many recyclable materials as possible to the cycle. These are sorted out in state-of-the-art facilities to produce unmixed fractions. The residual waste, i.e. materials that have reached the absolute end of their life cycle, is incinerated. This produces thermal energy, which is converted into valuable district heating. Even the smallest pieces of metal are filtered out of the ash and slag and recycled in processing plants for waste incineration slag.

The remaining granulate can even be used as a substitute for gravel in domestic concrete production.

Our waste contains valuable raw materials.(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

Myth number 3: Organic waste is in good hands in residual waste - a study shows that 700,000 tons of biogenic materials mistakenly end up there every year. However, valuable soils and substrates can be obtained from this eco-material, which stimulate plant growth and make environmentally harmful humus extraction obsolete. Only biogenic waste that contains too many impurities and makes filtering impossible - AI-supported impurity scanners in trucks already recognize this during collection - must be incinerated.

Correct disposal brings the raw materials to light.(Bild: MA 48)

Myth number 4: All plastics are the same - there are many different plastics with different chemical properties. PET packaging is shredded, cleaned and then melted down to make PET, which is food-safe and can be used to store food again.

However, other materials such as hard plastic can no longer be used after hardening. This is why children's toys or items such as watering cans belong in the residual waste.

Myth number 5: All glass can be disposed of in glass containers - but only disposable bottles, jars and glass bottles can be disposed of. Uncolored containers go with the white glass, colored - even lightly colored - with the colored glass.

The fractions are collected separately because even small quantities of colored glass can affect the colorless glass. Waste collection vehicles are therefore equipped with two compartments. Other types of glass products, on the other hand, have different melting points. Drinking glasses, glass plates or vases must therefore be disposed of in the residual waste, window, wire or aquarium glass in the bin.