The State Waste Association is committed to the dual collection system in the ASZ

The people of Rohrbach only partially agree with the announcement of the closure of three waste collection centers and the end of the dual collection system (ASZ and yellow bag). Above all, the end to the collection of the “yellow bag factions” in the ASZ is met with very little approval. Rohrbach’s BAV chairman Franz Hofer defends the decision of the board and the association meeting. At the state level, however, they want to ensure that “the collection in the ASZ is maintained,” as state chairman Roland Wohlmuth assured in the OÖN interview. Specifically, the point is that in the future only old materials that cannot be disposed of through the yellow bag can be handed in at the Rohrbach collection centers.

Restructuring necessary

“We are simply of the opinion that the duplication of efforts is not worth it. That is why the association has decided to end the dual collection,” says Hofer. “Of course income is lost, but the workload also decreases,” he says. In plain language, however, this means that jobs also have to be cut in order to be able to compensate for the lack of income by reducing expenses. Except for waste paper, there is now no duplication: “You can’t bring residual waste to the ASZ either.” The decision was made unanimously by the board and by a majority in the association meeting. By the way, it is also being discussed that the collection intervals for the yellow bag will be extended to eight weeks. In the future, this could also be handed in at the remaining collection centers in the district. It is also not certain that after the closure of the BAV locations in Sarleinsbach, St. Veit and subsequently Hofkirchen all others will remain in place; further closures could follow. “Compared to other districts such as Schärding, we still have a high density. There are eight locations available to the citizens. Of course, I cannot anticipate what the association decides,” says Hofer. He only accepts the comparison with Freistadt, where every municipality runs a small ASZ, to a limited extent: “It’s a completely different system. Of course, Rohrbach has the highest density of fully developed collection centers to date,” says Hofer. But how unavoidable is the end of the dual collection really? When we asked the state waste association, a differentiated picture emerged. There they really want to fight to ensure that the “yellow bag factions” can continue to be transferred to the ASZ. “The dual collection has worked excellently for years,” says LAV chairman Roland Wohlmuth, who also heads the Schärding district waste association: “The best sorter is and remains people. And if citizens want to be able to hand in their sorted materials at the ASZ , then he should have the opportunity to do so.”

Of course, the collection involves proceeds from the sale of recyclables. Wohlmuth: “Do we really want all recyclables to be collected by the commercial sector and the municipalities to take over the dirt?”

Revenue is lost from depositing PET and cans anyway because these materials are then disposed of neither through the ASZ nor through the yellow bag. This is precisely why we are negotiating with buyers to ensure that they continue to take over the recyclable materials from the ASZ. “If that is no longer the case, then a system like the one in Freistadt has a problem,” says Wohlmuth. “The citizen should be allowed to decide,” is the regional association’s simple credo.

ASZ customers upset

Franz Hofer defends Rohrbach’s go-it-alone approach: “The yellow bag is becoming increasingly popular. We are losing PET as a profitable raw material with the deposit. We have to reduce costs in order to maintain the service,” he says. For example, compost collection and shrub cuttings cost a lot of money. But he could confirm that customers in the collection centers are upset about this.

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