Compostable pre-collection plastic bags can foster the separate collection of biowaste from households and reduce pollution of conventional plastics. Test conditions proposed in certification procedures (e.g., EN 13432) used to show the compostability of such materials (and products) are made under controlled and optimal laboratory conditions and extended test periods that are rarely achieved in the composting practice. Thus, it is possible that some ‘compostable’ plastic products may not be degraded satisfactorily in technical composting plants under realistic conditions, which could leave microplastic fragments in composts. Therefore, in this study, the compostability of a certified compostable plastic bag was investigated under practical conditions in two state-of-art composting plants in Austria. Expected future plastic bag quantities (resulting in 0.95–1.19 kg biowaste per pre-collection-bag) were added to test windrows and were investigated during 12 weeks for fragment sizes > 0.2 mm. The results show that the investigated materials degraded within the first four weeks and left only tiny amounts of plastic materials in a size range 0.63–0.2 mm.

Vor dem Hintergrund des unachtsamen Wegwerfens bzw. Litterings sowie ineffizienten Sammelns und Recyclings von Kunststoffen wurde im Jahr 2019 die Richtlinie der Europäischen Kommission zur Verringerung der Auswirkungen bestimmter Einweg-Kunststoffprodukte auf die Umwelt, die sogenannte Single-Use-Plastic-Richtlinie erlassen, die für Einweg-Getränkeflaschen aus Kunststoff eine getrennte Sammelquote von 77

Vor dem Hintergrund hoher biogener Anteile im Restmüll und zu verbessernder Bioabfallverwertung wurde das Projekt „KüKeN – Küchenküberl für energetische Nutzung“ gestartet, das neue Wege bei der Sammlung und kaskadischen Verwertung von biogenen Abfällen aus Haushalten erproben soll. Der Fokus liegt dabei auf dem Einsatz digitaler Medientechnologie zur Steigerung der Motivation und zur Verbesserung der Sammelqualität. Als Grundlage für Entwicklungen im Rahmen dieses Projekts werden der Hintergrund zur Gamification, der Stand der Sensorik in Hinblick auf die technische Umsetzung des Küchenküberls sowie der Stand der Technik bei abfallwirtschaftlichen Apps dargestellt. Die Konzeption des interaktiven Küchenküberls in Kombination mit einer Motivations-App basiert auf einem nutzer:innenzentrierten Designprozess, wobei Nudging als Ansatz für die Trenn- und Sammelmotivation zur Anwendung kommt. Hauptzielgruppe der KüKeN-App sind Kinder und Jugendliche, die als Multiplikator:innen Kenntnisse und Engagement für das Thema Abfalltrennung in ihrem Umfeld verbreiten. Auf Basis von User- und Stakeholder-Workshops wurde die KüKeN-App mit drei Komponenten – ein ChatBot für Information, ein Spiel zur Wissensvermittlung sowie ein Spiel zur Aufrechterhaltung der Motivation – entwickelt. Nach der Vorstellung des Ergebnisses der Smartphone-Applikation gibt der Artikel einen Ausblick auf den bevorstehenden Einsatz der App in der Testregion.

The quantity and type of macro-and microplastics was investigated in rotting material during the composting process of two state-of-the-art composting plants in Austria. Microplastics >0.2 mm, were found already after the first turning event in both facilities. The generation of microplastics was more extensive in the plant that used shorter turning intervals during the first four weeks and generated approx. 21 particles per week and kg- 1 DM. After 4 weeks of operation less microplastic particles were detected, which suggested that particles were frac-tionated to smaller sizes during processing. In addition, a total of nine composts from three different facilities that were operated in various settlement structures were compared. 7 to 232 macro-and microplastic particles per kg DM were found, whereas the highest plastic burden was observed in the composts made from biowaste that originated from the most densely populated area.

ZusammenfassungDas von der Europäischen Union 2017 beschlossene Kreislaufwirtschaftspaket sieht mehrere Strategien zur besseren Nutzung von Ressourcen vor. Neben der nachhaltigen Produktgestaltung und Maßnahmen zur Verringerung des Abfallaufkommens ist eine Intensivierung der Verwertung und die Schließung von Stoffkreisläufen ein wesentlicher Ansatz. Die Erhöhung der Recyclingziele wird insbesondere in ressourcenintensiven Branchen angestrebt, neben Kunststoffen, Textilien und dem Bauwesen spielt hier die Elektronikbranche eine wichtige Rolle. Bei der Verwertung von Elektroaltgeräten stellt die Sammelkategorie der Elektrokleingeräte eine besondere Herausforderung dar, diese Sammelkategorie ist heterogen, die einzelnen Gerätearten unterscheiden sich deutlich in ihrem Aufbau und ihrem Gehalt an Wertstoffen. Zusätzlich wird diese Gerätekategorie an Bedeutung gewinnen, da es einer der am schnellsten wachsenden Abfallströme in der EU ist. Die Verwertung besteht typischerweise aus Vorbehandlung (Demontage und Schadstoffentfrachtung, Zerkleinerung und Trennen von Materialströmen), Rückgewinnung von Sekundärressourcen in Form von Materialien (Eisen und Stahl, Nichteisenmetalle wie Aluminium und Kupfer) und Energie sowie der Entsorgung nicht verwertbarer Materialien. Die Optimierung von Verfahren zur Aufbereitung erfordert umfassendere Datengrundlagen zur Charakterisierung dieses heterogenen Abfallstroms. Der Beitrag stellt eine Methode vor, wie die Materialzusammensetzung von Elektrokleingeräten nach Gerätegruppen genauer abgebildet werden kann und wie diese Daten zur Optimierung der Vorbehandlung genutzt werden können.

Zusammenfassung Mit anhaltender Verkehrswende nimmt die Bedeutung von Lithium-Ionen-Batterien (LIB) in Zukunft stark zu. Im Sinne der Kreislaufwirtschaft sind einerseits die optimale und nachhaltige Nutzung vorhandener Ressourcen, andererseits das Schließen von Material-Kreisläufen durch geeignete und effiziente Recyclingverfahren unabdingbar. Der Artikel behandelt die aktuellen Problemfelder und Herausforderungen entlang der Wertschöpfungskette von LIB am Ende ihres Lebenszyklus. Dabei werden insbesondere Aspekte der Vorbehandlung und des Recyclings beleuchtet.

According to the current government program, the electricity supply in Austria is to be climate-neutral by 2040 and thus be 100% renewable energy. This goal is connected with great ambitions in the expansion of renewable energy production facilities, especially in the area of photovoltaics and wind power. The aim of this paper is to present the expected sharp increase in the use of materials for new and existing wind power plants (WPP) and photovoltaic plants (PVP) by 2050, to estimate the potential of secondary resources and to show ways for reuse and the highest possible level of recycling. The plant stock and the usable secondary resources were balanced on the basis of macroeconomic modelling of the Austrian energy system and market mix based material flow analyses of WPP and PVP on component level. The construction of the plants shows the mass relevance of silicon and glass for PVP and concrete and steel for foundations of WPP, whereby an increase in the use of raw materials by a factor of 5 can be expected in the period from 2020 to 2030. Furthermore, electrical and electronic components contain significant amounts of metals (Fe, Cu, Al), precious metals (Au, Ag) and special metals such as tantalum and neodymium in capacitors and magnets. A comparison after two recycling scenarios with current state-of-the-art and high quality recycling shows that recovery rates can be significantly increased for PVP concerning glass, silicon and silver and for WPP concerning copper, precious metals and glass and carbon fibre reinforced plastics. Due to the quantities and qualities of potential secondary resources from dismantled plants in the coming decades, optimized recycling paths must be created so that the resources can be managed in a circular economy.

Zusammenfassung Bis 2040 soll die Stromversorgung in Österreich laut aktuellem Regierungsprogramm klimaneutral sein und somit zu 100 % aus erneuerbarer Energie erfolgen. Dieses Ziel ist mit großen Ambitionen im Ausbau der Anlagen zur Erzeugung von erneuerbarer Energie, vor allem im Bereich der Photovoltaik und Windkraft, verbunden. Ziel dieses Beitrags ist es, den zu erwartenden, stark ansteigenden Materialeinsatz für neue und bestehende Windkraftanlagen (WKA) und Photovoltaikanlagen (PVA) bis zum Jahr 2050 darzustellen, das Potenzial an Sekundärressourcen abzuschätzen und Wege zur Wiederverwendung und möglichst hochwertigen Verwertung aufzuzeigen. Hierfür wurden der Anlagenbestand und die verwertbaren Sekundärressourcen auf Basis von makroökonomischer Modellierung des österreichischen Energiesystems und marktmixbasierten Materialflussanalysen von WKA und PVA (auf Bauteilebene) bilanziert. Beim Bau der Anlagen zeigt sich die Massenrelevanz von Silizium und Glas bei PVA bzw. Beton und Stahl für Fundamente für WKA, wobei im Zeitraum von 2020 bis 2030 mit einer Steigerung des Rohstoffeinsatzes um den Faktor 5 zu rechnen ist. Weiters enthalten elektrische und elektronische Bauteile bedeutende Mengen an Metallen (Fe, Cu, Al), Edelmetallen (Au, Ag) sowie Sondermetallen, wie Tantal in Kondensatoren oder Neodym in Magneten. Ein Vergleich nach zwei Recyclingszenarien mit derzeitiger Ausrichtung und hochwertigem Recycling zeigt, dass bei PVA für Glas, Silizium und Silber bzw. bei WKA bei Kupfer, Edelmetallen und glas- und carbonfaserverstärkten Kunststoffen Rückgewinnungsraten deutlich gesteigert werden können. Aufgrund der anfallenden Mengen und Qualitäten an potenziellen Sekundärressourcen, die in den nächsten Jahrzehnten in den abgebauten Anlagen enthalten sein werden, müssen optimierte Verwertungswege geschaffen werden, damit die Ressourcen auch in der Praxis im Kreislauf geführt werden können.

Technological development combined with a rapid and global market penetration has led to high volumes of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). Simultaneously, the use-phase has become shorter resulting in an annual growth rate of WEEE between 3-5%, which makes WEEE one of the fastest growing waste streams. The high metal content of WEEE has been a driving force for behind the expansion of recycling industry. However, during the de-pollution process, a certain type of components is sorted out, which due to their diversity in shape, size, and material composition, cannot be assigned to any homogenous material. These components can generally be classified as complex components and include Printed Circuit Boards (PCB), Hard Disk Drives, Power Supply Units, etc. The aim of the present research is to provide an assessment of the material composition of complex components exemplified in more detail on PCBs. A set of minimal requirements has been developed in order to increase comparability of available data sets. Furthermore, a novel classification system has been designed for PCBs with according to the current recycling practices in EU. Finally, the paper provides a mapping of complex components with a particularly high content of precious metals and critical raw materials.

Im Vergleich zu Metallerzen der Erdkruste sind Metalle in Elektro- und Elektronikaltgeräten (EAGs) in deutlich höheren Konzentrationen vorhanden, sind aber häufig in komplexe Matrizen unterschiedlicher Metalle oder in Nichtmetall-Metall-Komplexe eingebunden. Aufgrund der komplexen Materialzusammensetzung von EAGs, die v. a. durch eine Vielzahl von am Markt verfügbaren Gerätetypen und rasche Technologieentwicklung bedingt ist, wird das volle Recyclingpotenzial derzeit bei weitem noch nicht ausgeschöpft. Davon sind besonders edle und kritische Metalle betroffen, die trotz umfassender Recyclingprozesse mit sehr geringer Effizienz zurückgewonnen werden. Die Erhöhung der Rückgewinnungsrate dieser Metalle erfordert effizientere Methoden und Verfahren. Daraus resultiert der Bedarf an besseren Datengrundlagen zur Charakterisierung von EAGs.

Elektroaltgeräte stellen mit einem jährlichen Zuwachs von 3 bis 5 % einen der am schnellsten wachsenden Abfallströme in Europa dar. Vorgaben und Ambitionen der Europäischen Union zielen auf die Vermeidung des Anfalls von Elektroaltgeräten, eine nachhaltige Ressourcennutzung sowie eine Beschränkung von gefährlichen Stoffen ab. Im Rahmen eines FFG-Forschungsprojekts wurden die Materialströme von Elektrokleingeräten entlang der gesamten Verwertungskette und die dabei auftretenden Materialverluste von der Sammlung bis zur Sekundärressource untersucht. Dabei wurden neue Ansätze zur Sammlung von Elektrokleingeräten aus Haushalten recherchiert sowie ein stochastisches Modell zur Abschätzung der Materialzusammensetzung des Outputs einer mechanischen Behandlungsanlage basierend auf dem Inputmaterial (Sammelware) entwickelt. Primärdaten wurden in Kooperation mit dem Betreiber einer österreichischen mechanischen Aufbereitungsanlage im Rahmen von Batchversuchen sowohl für das Inputmaterial in die Anlage wie auch für die Outputströme erhoben. Die prognostizierte Zusammensetzung des Anlagenoutputs wurde mit den tatsächlichen Outputströmen verglichen.

The increase in recycling targets is seen as an important contribution towards a circular economy as envisioned by the European Union. Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is highly complex and heterogeneous and one of the fastest growing waste streams in the EU. Its recycling typically consists of pre-treatment, recovery of secondary resources (materials and energy), and disposal. Legal recycling targets, stated by the European Commission, are exceeded by leading pre-treatment operators driven by economic needs. While recycling has been shown in the past to have greenhouse gas benefits, no study could be found that compares WEEE recycling at two different recycling rates using industry data. Therefore, this study investigates: (1) How much secondary material is recovered from WEEE at a certain recycling rate and (2) what is the associated greenhouse gas impact of the WEEE end-of-life system? The results of two end-of-life systems operating at different recycling rates are compared and analysed. A leading Austrian pre-treatment facility provided data and know-how for this case study.One system describes the current practice at the pre-treatment facility (recycling rate: 80.5%) and the other system operates at the same facility close to the legally required minimum target set by the European WEEE directive (62.5% for this specific input material). In terms of secondary material recovery, the study shows that a recycling rate of 80.5% enables recovery of just above halve of the input material, while for recycling close to the legal target the amount of recovered material is around 45%. The differences are due to less recycling of plastics, ferrous materials and copper. Regarding the greenhouse gas impact, recycling at a rate of 80.5%, the Austrian pre-treatment site proves to avoid at least 215 kg of CO2 equivalents per ton WEEE input compared to recycling WEEE at the same facility close to the legal minimum recycling target. In the authors' view a mandatory recycling rate above 80% would be difficult to fulfil as, according to the pre-treatment facility operator, additional costs of better separation would outweigh any additional revenues from secondary material. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Over the last years Europe and China have developed specific regulations to address the challenge of managing Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). Households in today's urban China are similarly equipped with electrical and electronic appliances as households in European metropolitan areas, which in turn will lead to similar per capita generation rates in WEEE. While the challenge is a similar one, the systems, technologies and legislation in place in Europe and China are partly different, partly aligned to each other. In Europe WEEE collection is based on existing municipal structures. Additionally, retail and other take-back channels are in place. In China the informal sector dominates WEEE collection, being more competitive and flexible and offering pecuniary reimbursement to consumers. In Europe manual dismantling as a first treatment step has been gradually replaced by mechanical break up of appliances, followed by sorting out of hazardous and valuable components. In the subsequent second treatment level, cathode ray tubes are separated, whereby compound materials like motors and coils are mechanically treated, printed circuit boards go to special smelters, and plastics are separated and partly recycled. In China large formal dismantling capacities have been set up in recent years. There dismantling practices follow similar principles as in European plants; however, further processing is only partly implemented in Chinese recycling facilities. Specifically metallurgical treatment of printed circuit boards is still not existent in China. Companies selling electrical and electronic products within the EU are obliged to organise collection and treatment. This has led to a larger number of producer responsibility organisations. Financed and controlled by producers and importers, these systems aim to fulfil legal requirements at optimised costs subject to compliance with environmental standards and monitoring requirements. The Chinese system is built on a state controlled fund which subsidies formal recyclers. For these recyclers this financial support is essential to compete with informal recyclers, who operate at lower costs and do not necessarily comply with environmental standards.

Given the rapidly changing legal framework conditions, collection systems for packaging are especially important for waste management planning. The following work investigates the environmental impacts of selected variants for collecting and recycling lightweight and metal packaging based on the example of a specific federal state (Salzburg). In this regard, variants involving the full-service at-your-door collection of all lightweight and metal packaging, container collection, and the current system are compared.In order to assess the ecological ramifications of these variants, initially the material flows involved, especially the mass transports of lightweight and metal packaging for separate and non-separate collection, were modeled; a lifecycle assessment in keeping with ISO 14040 was subsequently prepared, taking into account all essential collection, transport, sorting, recycling and disposal processes. For assessment purposes, typical impact categories including climate change, resource consumption, acidification, human toxicity, summer smog and potential ozone loss were selected.The results show that, in comparison with container collection, full-service collection and recycling of packaging material yields a significantly higher benefit to the environment than the additional burden stemming from collection activities. Metal packaging, especially nonferrous packaging—despite only making up a comparatively low percentage of the total—has a significant influence on the total outcome.

Sammelsysteme für Verpackungen sind derzeit aufgrund sich verändernder gesetzlicher Rahmenbedingungen von besonderer Bedeutung für die abfallwirtschaftliche Planung. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden die Umweltauswirkungen ausgewählter Varianten zur Sammlung und Verwertung von Leicht- und Metallverpackungen am Beispiel eines Bundeslandes (Salzburg) untersucht. Dabei wurden Varianten mit einer umfassenden Sammlung aller Leicht- und Metallverpackungen ab Haus und die Hohlkörpersammlung sowie der Ist-Zustand verglichen.

The D4R (Design for recycling, repair, refurbishment and reuse) laptop was developed in conjunction with MicroPro Computers (MPC), a Dublin-based computer manufacturer. MPC formed an industrial network with end-of-life information technology (IT) asset management firms, IT refurbishers, component manufacturers and local industries to produce a new design that has created a new use for their wastes, thus turning waste into resources. This has been made possible through: D4R product design features that facilitate integration of by-product materials and components into the manufacturing process; the creation of an industrial network of suppliers and local assembly agencies permitting industrial metabolism of by-product materials and components into state-of-the-art laptop products; and the creation of a resource exchange platform that increases the visibility of by-products to be incorporated in newly manufactured systems. MPC has been able to successfully manufacture a universal shell composed of a motherboard and a six-cell lithium battery, encapsulated in a wooden housing structure. The shell is capable of accepting new laptop system components and also has the ability to integrate various diverse parts and components, and parts and components of different specifications. The proposed manufacturing model illustrates an entirely novel approach to industrial networking in computer manufacturing for the purpose of eliminating waste and creating valuable by-products.

The FP7-project ZeroWIN wants to find innovative approaches and effective strategies for the prevention of waste in industrial networks based on industrial symbiosis. The paper presents the results for a photovoltaic case study and describes the implemented measures as well as their environmental impacts. Measures related to industrial symbiosis cover e.g. the use of second hand or off-spec PV modules or the replacement of the steel structure by wooden components which also could be by-products from other industries. Beside other measures the focus was laid on the design for easier dismantling and therefore replacement of components which fail in the total life time of a PV system.

As a result of the large quantity of both valuable materials and hazardous substances, end-of-life mobile phones attract interest for improved recycling and reuse. Therefore, numerous takeback schemes have been set up in recent years. The aim of this paper is to evaluate and compare the different collection schemes in terms of motivation for the setting up of the scheme, the organisation and operation, the funding and the collection performance. The four schemes analysed include regular collection systems for waste electrical and electronic equipment, branch systems and commercial as well as charitable refurbishing schemes. Comparing the schemes in terms of the collection rate, the results suggest that easy accessibility and broad information for users are the most relevant factors of success. Finally, attention is paid to the orientation of the schemes on recycling or reuse and the related environmental impacts.

Waste management planning requires reliable data concerning waste generation, influencing factors on waste generation and forecasts of waste quantities based on facts. This paper aims at identifying and quantifying differences between different municipalities' municipal solid waste (MSW) collection quantities based on data from waste management and on socio-economic indicators. A large set of 116 indicators from 542 municipalities in the Province of Styria was investigated. The resulting regression model included municipal tax revenue per capita, household size and the percentage of buildings with solid fuel heating systems. The model explains 74.3% of the MSW variation and the model assumptions are met. Other factors such as tourism, home composting or age distribution of the population did not significantly improve the model. According to the model, 21% of MSW collected in Styria was commercial waste and 18% of the generated MSW was burned in domestic heating systems. While the percentage of commercial waste is consistent with literature data, practically no literature data are available for the quantity of MSW burned, which seems to be overestimated by the model. The resulting regression model was used as basis for a waste prognosis model (Beigl and Lebersorger, in preparation).