The city of Salzburg recently announced that private New Year’s Eve fireworks will not be allowed this year. This was justified with the “lousy ecological footprint” of the mostly Chinese floors, the pollution in the air, the noise and garbage. Before the “probably inevitable fifth corona wave”, crowds of people should not be promoted additionally, said Weissenböck.
For similar reasons, the supermarket chain Spar does not want to sell any more fireworks in all Spar branches, Interspar hypermarkets, maxim markets and at most independent Spar retailers from this year on. “Rockets and firecrackers cause animals to suffer, pollute our good air with fine dust, pollute our floors and injure numerous people,” said board member Markus Kaser. And dealers Lidl and Penny are also pulling along and are not selling any fireworks. The discounter Hofer announced in April that it would completely stop the sale of pyrotechnics after the end of the contractual purchase obligations from 2022.
Prohibitions in the local area
In Austria there is a general ban on rockets and firecrackers in the local area, but mayors can lift this with an exception. In the previous year, New Year’s Eve fell into a lockdown including exit restrictions.
The animal welfare organization Vier Pfoten appealed to the ban immediately to avoid unnecessary firecracker purchases. “We don’t need a patchwork of different regulations. Instead, we demand a clear commitment to animal and environmental protection from the government,” said Weissenböck.
Source: Nachrichten
