Austrians collected more plastic and metal packaging waste in 2025, with Vienna leading the rise

How the collection system works

Industry representatives attribute the rise to a combination of factors, including expanded collection infrastructure in urban districts, clearer labelling on packaging, and public-awareness campaigns run by municipal waste authorities. Vienna's particularly strong performance is consistent with its dense network of collection points and the city's longer-standing practice of separating lightweight packaging from the rest of household waste.

The trend fits into a broader European pattern in which countries are under pressure to meet EU targets for recycling plastic packaging. Under the EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, member states must collect and recycle rising shares of plastic packaging in the coming years, with binding benchmarks that increase over time. Higher collection rates in Austria reduce the country's reliance on exporting plastic waste and lower the volume sent to incineration.

For households, the practical message is straightforward: rinsing containers, flattening plastic bottles and returning them to the correct bin improves the quality of the recyclate and makes reprocessing more efficient. Improperly sorted loads can contaminate entire batches and lead to material being downcycled or rejected altogether.

What households can do to improve quality

Environmental groups welcomed the figures but cautioned that collection volumes alone do not capture the full picture. They argue that Austria still generates large absolute amounts of packaging waste, particularly single-use plastic, and that prevention measures such as reusable systems, deposit schemes and packaging-reduction mandates for producers need to accompany improvements in recycling.

The Austrian figures mirror trends reported in neighbouring Germany and Switzerland, where plastic-packaging collection has also risen in recent years, though both countries continue to debate the merits of deposit systems versus existing kerbside collection. The data is compiled from returns submitted by collection partners and audited annually before publication.

Broader European context

Looking ahead, waste-management authorities say the next reporting cycle will include a breakdown by material type, separating plastic from metal packaging, to give policymakers a clearer view of where further investment is needed. The current combined figure covers lightweight packaging, cans, aluminium trays and similar items collected through the same channels.