Study : Austrias Corona Waste Management during the Pandemic

One year after the start of the Corona crisis, the Association of Austrian Waste Management Companies (VOEB) takes stock: Despite the pandemic, more than 40,000 employees in the waste & resource management sector ensured that both private and commercial waste was always collected smoothly and that recycling and recovery facilities were thus well utilized.

Many companies had taken all the necessary measures for this, such as shift concepts, protective equipment and emergency plans, which have proved their worth in the long term. With regard to the individual waste fractions, the pandemic has left its mark: for example, food waste from the catering and tourism sectors is showing significant declines, while the composition of waste paper and cardboard has changed: There is significantly more high-volume packaging waste due to increasing online trade, but much less printed matter such as newspapers and magazines. Industrial and commercial waste developed very differently, depending on how much production suffered from the pandemic.

Gaby Jüly, President of the VOEB: "It was a challenging year. On the one hand, we had to continue to ensure waste disposal and recycling while taking care of the health of our employees. At the same time, our operations were challenged to react quickly and flexibly to the challenges of the crisis. After all, depending on the lockdown, waste volumes changed within a day, and it was never foreseeable how long an opening or closure would last. Nevertheless, the industry was able to cope very well with the crisis and is more prepared than ever for further challenges."

When asked about the impact of the Corona crisis on the different sectors and waste fractions, VOEB member companies cited the following trends.

Household waste recorded a slight increase of up to five percent.

Bulky waste: Due to the de-cluttering activities of citizens in the first lockdown and the closure of the used material collection centers (ASZ), there was a real rush and increased volume of bulky waste when they reopened, but this quickly settled back to normal levels.

Commercial and industrial waste: Companies report a decline of up to minus 20 percent, although there are strong differences by sector. Unsurprisingly, the food service sector also recorded total losses. It is expected that when certain sectors recover, e.g. the tourism industry in Tyrol, investments will increase again and thus waste flows will also return to normal. Construction waste is likely to have seen the least change, with volumes here generally remaining constant. After a slump a year ago due to the short-term closure of construction sites, these reduced quantities have been made up again.

Waste paper/cardboard: This waste fraction is recording significantly higher volumes with no change in weight. This is because there are significantly more cardboard boxes due to the increase in online trade. In terms of weight, however, these are much lighter than newspapers and magazines, which have seen a massive drop in quantity due to the increased use of digital media. While this waste fraction tends to increase in the household sector, there are significant declines in specific industries (e.g., furniture stores, home improvement stores, etc....).

Food waste/organic and event waste: Depending on the region and the influence of tourism, hotels & restaurants, there are drops of up to minus 90 percent in this fraction. On the other hand, a slight increase is evident for bio waste from households. Some services, e.g. mobile WC rental, show huge declines due to event cancellations.

Test roads: A special feature of the pandemic was waste disposal around test roads throughout Austria. It was and continues to be successfully managed with private waste disposal companies.

In summary, it can be said that most of the companies in the sector are broadly positioned and have therefore come through the crisis very well. While there have been large volume losses in hotel and catering businesses, individual trades and private individuals have seen an increase in waste. Jüly: "Our internal survey gives a heterogeneous picture. The diversity of our tasks - from waste collection and sorting to recycling and the production of secondary raw materials - has meant that the industry has been able to absorb all the changes well, even after twelve months of pandemic." The vast majority of operations continue to operate at capacity. "In fact, we are once again specifically looking for skilled workers who want to work in a crisis-proof industry of the future," Jüly concludes.