Graz starts innovative Pfandring: donations instead of throwing away!

Graz starts innovative Pfandring: donations instead of throwing away!

Hauptbahnhof Graz, Österreich - The city of Graz starts an innovative pilot project that makes it easier to collect deposit bottles and cans for people in need and at the same time contributes to reducing garbage in public space. The so -called Pfandring is a new device that is installed on dung ceeds and enables a visible and clean storage of these recyclable materials. According to [Exxpress.at] (https://exxpress.at/news/graz-startet-pilotprojekt-pfandflaschen-spenden-statt-Straße/)) was selected as the pilot location of the dungkübel with the highest advancement at the main train station.

Mayor Judith Schwentner from the Greens emphasizes the multi -dimensionality of the project. It combines elements of the ecological circular economy with social responsibility and is based on successful examples from Linz and Innsbruck. KPÖ councilor Miriam Herlicska emphasizes the social relevance because the project offers people a more dignified way to collect deposit without having to dig in the trash. It is currently planned to install only a single Pfandring in Graz, but there are possible additional locations for discussion that will be discussed at the upcoming meeting of the waste management.

Promotion of pledge awareness

In order to raise awareness of the deposit system, the city of Graz is planning events, including a special campaign at the “Interest grin” festival on May 24th. So -called "event baskets" are used, which are collection boxes made of boxes that serve to hand over deposit bottles and benefit social purposes. These measures aim to reduce garbage in public space and to promote the return of deposit bottles.

The concept of the pawn ring stipulates that the deposit containers are hygienically and visibly stored separately from the residual waste. These devices can either be assembled directly on existing chipped chips or set up as an independent "Pfand Islands". The primary goal of this initiative is not only to reduce the garbage, but also to support people in financial emergencies.

comparison with existing systems

The Graz project is in a larger context of waste management, as is known from the German Path system. Gerolsteiner emphasizes that in Germany 98.7 % of the tanked beverage bottles are collected and 97.6 % of the PET-entry bottles are recycled. The goal is a closed "Bottle-to-Bottle" cycle, which enables new beverage packaging to be made from recycled PET. Customers and producers must therefore support the deposit system together by returning bottles on time and not misuse.

The city of Graz not only cleverly pursues the goals of environmental protection, but also offers a practical solution to tackle social problems. It remains to be seen how successful this initiative will ultimately be and whether it can serve as a model for other cities.