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★Mark us as a preferred sourceIn the final weeks of the recent school year, around 700 children and young adults gained a unique glimpse into the operations of the Austrian waste and recycling industry. Organized for the fifth time by the Association of Austrian Waste Management Companies (VOEB), the Environmental Weeks (Umweltwochen) aimed to let students observe circular economy processes in practice and meet the professionals who contribute to sustainability every day.
Ten Companies Opened Their Doors in Four Austrian Provinces
During the Environmental Weeks, a total of ten waste processing and recycling plants opened their doors to young people in four different Austrian provinces: Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Carinthia, and Salzburg. Participating students learned directly from experts and observed technological processes in real time during on-site plant tours. They experienced firsthand exactly how new granulate is made from collected old PET bottles, what processing stages household biowaste goes through, how used glass is recycled on an industrial scale, and the methods used to properly dispose of hazardous waste such as batteries.
The following VOEB member companies participated in hosting the project days, offering a look behind the scenes:
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Lower Austria: Abfallservice Jüly GesmbH, Brantner green solutions / Erdenreich, FCC Zistersdorf Abfall Service GmbH, Kerschner Umweltservice und Logistik GmbH, Puhm Green GmbH, Stark GmbH.
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Upper Austria: Bernegger GmbH.
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Carinthia: Peter Seppele GesmbH, PreZero Polymers Austria GmbH.
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Salzburg: Struber Recycling GmbH.
Students from various educational institutions and age groups participated in the professional action days: the programs involved primary school students (Volksschule), middle and high school students (Mittelschule and Gymnasien), as well as university of applied sciences students (Fachhochschulen).
Raising Awareness and Meeting Environmental Professionals Directly
Gabriele Jüly, President of the Association of Austrian Waste Management Companies (VOEB), emphasized the importance of gaining personal experience through the initiative. She highlighted that she is particularly pleased by the tremendous curiosity with which the students explored the plants. During the program, young people were able to understand the exact path their everyday waste takes from the moment of disposal to recycling.
Furthermore, the event provided an opportunity for students to personally meet and converse with dedicated individuals who work day in and day out for climate and environmental protection, as well as the responsible management of valuable resources.
Green Jobs: Career Opportunities in the Circular Economy
One of the main objectives of the event series was to reach generations facing career choices and to promote Green Jobs. The Austrian waste and circular economy is considered one of the country’s most future-proof sectors. Anyone who gets a glimpse into the operations of such a plant today quickly realizes that the field goes far beyond the classic concept of garbage collection. The sector offers an extremely broad and modern professional palette, encompassing the operation of technical equipment and technological systems, the planning of complex logistical processes, right up to innovative research and development (R&D) activities.
The Environmental Weeks draw attention exactly to this: they show young people that environmental and climate protection opens up multifaceted and attractive professional perspectives. According to Gabriele Jüly, the circular economy transforms from an abstract theory into something tangible immediately when young people see with their own eyes how a discarded bottle is reborn as a valuable raw material.
“Behind every ton of waste lie exciting professions and real future prospects. We can win over the professionals of tomorrow by sparking their curiosity and enthusiasm for environmental and climate protection today,” pointed out the VOEB President.
Telling Figures of VOEB and the Austrian Waste Management Sector
The significance of the initiative is also supported by official quantitative data presenting the economic volume of the sector. VOEB is the voluntary representative body for commercially operated Austrian waste and resource management companies. The association currently brings together over 260 member companies. With this number—based on turnover and number of employees—it represents two-thirds of private Austrian waste management companies.
The size of the Austrian waste industry is outstanding: it employs a total of more than 31,000 workers in its approximately 3,300 private and municipal companies. Companies in the waste and resource management sector collect, sort, and recycle no less than 74 million tons of waste annually. Together, these activities generate a turnover of approximately 9 billion euros per year, clearly indicating the sector’s macroeconomic importance.
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