Survey shows:

Older people are more familiar with waste separation

According to the survey, 85 percent make sure they dispose of their waste correctly (symbolic image).

(Bild: P. Huber)

85 percent of Austrians surveyed make sure to separate their waste. In Vorarlberg and Tyrol, the figure is 93 percent, according to a survey by Marketagent. The older the respondents are, the more familiar they are with waste separation.

While 92 percent of 60 to 78-year-olds pay attention to the correct disposal of waste, only 74 percent of Generation Z, the 14 to 30-year-olds, do so. They are much less sure which waste belongs in which garbage can. Only around one in five young people (24%) feel "very confident" about separating waste.

"The older you are, the more likely you are to have dealt with the issue of waste separation in your own household. Nevertheless, we need to inform young people better and motivate them to separate waste," said Veronika Wüster from the Austrian Association of Waste Management Companies (VOEB), which commissioned the survey. However, this is not only due to a lack of knowledge, but also to the fact that not all separated waste is collected directly.

Respondents in favor of a "4-bin system"
 The VOEB is therefore advocating a "4-bin system", which 84 percent of respondents also want. This means that every household or residential building has at least four different garbage cans - for residual waste, paper, organic waste and a shared metal and plastic garbage can. These are then also collected directly.

"This is already being implemented in many municipalities, but by no means everywhere, especially not in urban areas (e.g. not in Vienna, note)," said Wüster. For the survey, 1,000 people between the ages of 14 and 75 were questioned.