Vienna: Waste minimization and recycling strategies

Country:	Austria
Type:	Projects, Policies
Area:	Entire City
Actors:	Local Gov., Private
Funding:	Local Gov.
Topics:	Energy
	Waste
Objectives:	Increase district heating
	Waste avoidance
	Waste recycling
Instruments:	Demonstration and pilot project

Abstract:

• waste minimisation policy has become an essential part of waste management;
• waste management is focusing on the best ecological standards;
• special attention is given to the limitation of waste dumping;
• rapid progress had been made with biogenetic and waste-to-energy systems;
• the exploitation of material flow is regarded as a future oriented field of activity.

Concept and aims

Far to long management of the economy had been marked by a one-sided relationship between good production, supply and consumption on the one side, and waste management on the other side. Waste management has not been regarded as an operational tool that is able to influence the flow of materials and substances. However, in order to achieve a sustainable waste policy, the principles of waste management have to be upgraded. The aim should be to establish ecological services for each waste fraction. In 1994 Viennawaste volume did not keep growing as it did during previous years. Compared to 1993 the reduction was 3.6%. This had been the result of a waste management policy that started to tackle the different types of waste with new approaches. A basic principle of ecological waste management is the requirement that any waste that can neither be avoided nor recycled must be pre-treated in such a way before permanent tipping so that it is not an environmental burden for posterity in the future nor does it cause major costs for monitoring and supervision of the permanent site.

In 1995 the new Vienna waste concept included the following strategies for waste minimisation:

• analysis of further potentials for avoidance of waste;
• further exploitation of reutilisation;
• setting up of new information and consultancy activities;
• new waste-reducing purchasing policy;
• intensification of the co-operation with industries in order to promote a sustainable economy.

The minimisation strategies should include the following themes:

• continuous analysis on the potential of a closed-cycle policy for each waste fraction;
• further extension of the separate collection systems;
• supporting measures for the acceptance of recycled products;
• new pricing policy for waste dumping grounds;
• incineration should be less costly than dumping;
• incinerated waste should be less costly than ordinary waste;
• extension of the district heating distribution network;
• the reutilisation of construction and demolition waste should be optimised by new control instruments like an excavation database, a balancing policy of excavation and refilling, and inclusion of environmental standards in the public building sector.

Implementation

So far the Viennawaste management had concentrated on the material utilization of biogenetic as well as inorganic waste. The waste management policy of the City of Vienna had made substantial improvements in these areas.

Biowaste management

In 1956 biowaste management had already been established in Vienna when the first biowaste- composting plant went into operation. However, in 1981 this policy had to be abandoned as the compost, produced from the residual waste, had become too polluted. Nevertheless, the idea had been taken up at the time when separate collection systems had gradually been introduced. After the test of a biobin prototype proved to be promising, the City of Vienna started research into a suitable method of composting. Between 1988 and 1990 developments had concentrated on the process of rotting, and on the quality of the finished products. In addition, opportunities for using artificially aerated rotting systems had been tested. The new Lobau composting plant is located in open land and has an area of 5.2 hectares. The plant is composed of a container with 1,300 cubic metres. The process of rotting takes between six and ten months. By this process the biowaste is converted into earth. The earth is mainly used at municipally-owned agricultural sites. In 1989 several test programmes had been set up in order to study the use of compost in certain other agricultural areas. The results will be published in 1996 and 1997.

Waste-to-energy policy and the Vienna incineration systems

At present there are three plants in Austria licensed to burn thermic fraction. This is packaging material that can not be recycled. These sites are owned by the municipal company Fernwärme Wien which as core business has long distance heating. There are two plants in Spittelau and Flötzersteig which are operated by the Fernwärme Wien. In 1993 these two plants incinerated a total volume of 315,000 tonnes compared to a waste total waste quantity of 814,000 tonnes. The waste-to-energy utilisation covered 26.2% of Viennadistrict heating requirements. The district heating network is 390 km in total length and it provides heating for 130,000 flats.

In the 1970s the Entsorgungsbetriebe Simmering, a waste-treatment company situated in the 11th district of Vienna, built a plant which utilises the energy from the newly established system involving the centralised cleansing and purification of sewage and waste water. Instead of using fuel oil to burn the sewage sludge, special waste was employed as it has a higher thermal value. The sludge is burnt by the fluidized bed process using the Copeland method. On average the volume of burnt special waste is 60,000 to 70,000 tonnes per year.

As the plants are equipped with automatically controlled facilities, and flue gas purification the level of dioxine does not exceed the values permissible under law. Currently, this type of process treatment is regarded as an exemplary model.

Results and Impacts

The Vienna collection system has installed approximately 200, 000 containers for household waste. For special collection there are 142,300 containers in operation of which 72,500 are for paper, 33,100 are biogenetic, 24,700 are for glass, 6,800 are for plastics, and 5,200 are for metals.

With regard to biowaste, the City of Vienna has made rapid progress in order to implement the ordinance. The 33,100 containers for biowaste have been installed at more than 15,000 locations in the city. In 1988 the biowaste project started with only 726 containers. On average there are 107 containers per square kilometre of built up area. In the city of Vienna the average distance to the nearest container is less than 70 metres and in highly built up districts the system is even better with an average distance of less than 20 metres to the nearesr biobin. There is no extra levy on biowastes. In 1994 the volume of collected biowaste amounted 90,000 tonnes.

At the waste-to-energy sector the City of Vienna can also rely on a progressive infrastructure for district heating. In 1993 67.4% of district heating has been produced by combined power and heat systems, 26% came from waste incineration and only 6.4% from the Verbundnetz. By this policy 70% of primary energy had been saved which is equal to 271 million kilograms heating oil. The saving in CO₂ emission is 873,000 tonnes per annun.

In 1994 52% of the waste had been incinerated, 37% of the waste had been recycled, and 11% of the waste had been deposited.

Actors and Structures

The Department No. 48 of the Vienna municipal authority is responsible for the policy of waste management, the cleansing policy and the waste collection fleet. In 1995 the authority had a staff of 3,477.

The incineration plants at Spittelau and Flözersteig are operated by Wien GmbH, a private company, which originated from the municipal utilities. The plants are owned by the City of Vienna.

The incineration plant for special waste is operated by the private company Simmering GmbH.

Source of Information

Spet, Gerhardt 1995: Müll- und Altstoffsammlung in Wien. Abfallentwicklung - Überblick - Ausblick, in: Perspektiven, Nr.1, S. 5-8

Lukesch, Heinz 1995: Die Wiener Abfallverbrennungssysteme, in: in: Perspektiven, Nr.1, S. 14-19

Stanke, Herbert 1995: Der Wiener Weg der Rauchgasreinigung nach Abfallverbrennungsanlagen, in in: Perspektiven, Nr.1, S. 20-23

Gilnreiner, Gerhard 1995: Deponien der Zukunft - Modelle und Visionen, in: Perspektiven, Nr.1, S. 26-28

Rogalski, Wojciech 1995: Theorie und Praxis einer modernen Bioabfallwirtschaft oder die Möglichkeit, Kreisläufe zu schliessen, in: Perspektiven, Nr.1, S. 33-37

Zika, Adalbert 1995: Strom aus Deponiegas, in: Perspektiven, Nr.1, S. 38-42

Redl, Walter 1995: im Bereich der Wiederverwertung Ein Beispiel aus Wien, in: Perspektiven, Nr.1, S. 43-47

Löffler, Helmut 1995: Improvement of Air Quality by Waste Incineration in Vienna, in: EA.UE, (ed.), Urban Environmental Improvements in Vienna7th District Conference of Central European Metropoles, Berlin, pp. 32-38

Contact:

Cities:

Vienna :

The City of Vienna has a population of 1,642,000 and the conurbation has a population of approximately 2,500,000. The city covers an area of 415 square kilometres. There are approximately 790,000 workplaces in the City of Vienna. Vienna is the site of OPEC and a major finance centre. The main industries are engineering, electrical and chemical industry, as well as textiles and food processing industry.

Population:

Project was added at 21.06.96
Project was changed at 27.06.96