It is no secret that our affluent society is also a throw-away society: plastic waste is accumulating in the oceans, electronic waste ends up as an environmental problem in the global south. To counter this, the EU is tightening recycling quotas and governments are trying to increase collection rates. Especially for plastic packaging, there is still a long way to go before we reach the EU target of a 50 % recycling rate by 2025. At the Chair of Waste Processing Technology and Waste Management at the University of Leoben, research is being conducted into sensor-controlled waste sorting systems in close cooperation with Styrian technology companies. The goal is to develop from a (theoretical) material recyclability to a technically feasible and ultimately real recyclability. The findings of the research will also point to how products can be designed so that they remain in the cycle for as long as possible.
ReWaste 4.0 und ReWaste F – Recycling and Recovery of Waste for Future, 2017–2025
Chair of Waste Processing Technology and Waste Management/Montanuniversität Leoben, Mayer Recycling
Chair of Waste Processing Technology and Waste Management/Montanuniversität Leoben, Mayer Recycling
Video: studio-lou.at, © Karl Friedrich
Project partners: Saubermacher, BT Wolfgang Binder, Komptech, Andritz AG Funding body: FFG Comet Competence Centers for Excellent Technologies, SFG
