Performance of separate collection systems for plastic packaging – a regional analysis for Austria

Abstract

According to the EU Circular Economy Package recycling of plastic packaging waste (PPW) has to be enhanced significantly. As separate collection is a crucial factor reaching future recycling targets a detailed knowledge and understanding of the performance of current separate collection systems is mandatory. This paper analyses PPW collection rates of different collection systems regarding different settlement clusters, target fractions and service levels for the case study of Austria. The analysis was carried out by material flow analysis (MFA). Results show that the highest performance is achieved in mainly rural areas with PPW collection rates of 74-77% targeting all plastic packaging with service levels curbside collection. Urban areas show significant lower collection rates of 56%. Additional collection centers can enhance the collection rates. With higher degree of urbanization the provided service level gets more important for separate collection rates.