Asfinag collected nearly 8,900 tons of waste on Austria's motorways in 2025

In Vienna, the amount of waste even more than doubled compared to 2024: while around 21 tons of waste were collected from Vienna's motorways in 2024, the figure was significantly higher in 2025. Asfinag registered an increase in the amount of waste in the federal states of Carinthia, Salzburg, Burgenland, and Vorarlberg, while the other states recorded a decrease.

Risks for employees and drivers

The costs incurred by the collection amounted to just under nine million euros in 2025. Asfinag Managing Director Tamara Christ emphasized that carelessly discarded waste on the roadway not only endangers ASFINAG employees, but also all other road users: "einfach gesagt: wer Müll korrekt entsorgt, trägt zum Schutz von Menschen bei und erhöht die Verkehrssicherheit deutlich.

A quarter of the discarded waste has to be collected manually by Asfinag employees, which therefore poses a safety risk not only for road users. "Unsere Mitarbeitenden sammeln den Müll mit Tagesbaustellen auf – das ist immer ein gewisses Risiko für die Kolleginnen und Kollegen", said Christ. "Weil diese Arbeit im Fließverkehr erfolgt, ist bei den Verkehrsteilnehmenden große Aufmerksamkeit gefragt.

An Asfinag spokesperson also warned of the dangers posed by left-behind objects: "Flaschen oder Dosen können auf Autobahnen bei den dortigen Geschwindigkeiten zu wahren Geschoßen werden, a spokesperson for Asfinag reported. The risk of abrupt braking or evasive maneuvers is also immensely high with paper such as newspapers, which can result in accidents, it stated.

Illegal dumping and campaigns

In addition to everyday littering, Asfinag sees a further major problem in the illegal dumping of household waste or construction debris. In some cases, entire pieces of furniture, car tires, or similar items end up next to the routes. "Einfach nur, weil man sich die Müllentsorgungsgebühr sparen wolle oder es bequemer sei, it was stated by Asfinag.

Asfinag has been running initiatives against littering for years, including with the slogan "Ich bin die Autobahn, kein Mistkübel" on overhead displays. This summer, the campaign "Meine Mama/mein Papa arbeiten für dich. Danke, dass du auf sie aufpasst" was also launched by the ministry, Asfinag, and ÖAMTC. It is intended to make clear that there are people behind the activities on the motorways and expressways.

Asfinag emphasized in conclusion that waste disposed of correctly in containers at rest and parking areas does not pose a danger. Anyone who throws waste out of the window or dumps objects next to the route, however, endangers both employees and other drivers.

The statistics for 2025 show, despite the slight nationwide decline, that littering on Austria's motorways remains an ongoing safety and cost problem. Asfinag announced that it would continue its awareness-raising work and checks.