Comparison of plastic packaging waste management in Austria, Germany, Netherlands and Serbia

Abstract

As the world population is growing, so is production, consumption, and waste generation adapting. Climate change, environmental issues, and resource scarcity are only a few challenges we have to face in our everyday lives.Hence, it is vitally important to take long-term and prospective actions to leave the world a little bit better behind than we have discovered it.One of the major issues regarding waste production is the over consumption of plastics. Hardly anyone can imagine a life without macro- and microplastics. Several studies demonstrate that plastic affects the health of every creature here on earth.That is why global actors, like the European Union (EU), need to take action in order to condemn this tendency. Therefore, the Member States of the European Union (EU) agreed on “A new Circular Economy Action Plan” in March 2020. In addition, and as part of the European Green Deal (November 2019) the EU introduced a plastic packaging recycling rate of 55 % reached by 2030. These mentioned strategies shall also contribute to reach the targets of climate neutrality in 2050 and repress upcoming environmental issues.Several indicators can be adducted to monitor the process of achieving the undertaken aims. In regard to waste management, the collecting, sorting, and recycling rates are factors of interest.To get a deeper insight how various countries in the middle of Europe perform, this thesis aims to compare the waste management systems of Austria, Germany, Netherlands and Serbia by comparing material flows of PET bottles and plastic packaging recycling rates. It could be shown that Germany and the Netherlands are on a good way to reach the determined targets, where as Austria and Serbia need to rush on policies for plastic reduction. By implementing a deposit refund system in 2025 for PET bottles and tins, Austria took its first steps toward a greener future. In comparison to Serbia, where the informal sector is acting across the country, also in terms of waste management, monitoring processes based on reliable data are difficult to find.Nevertheless, it can be summarized, that the respective countries try to establish policies, which are able to contribute to a more sustainable and environmental-friendly future.