After a pandemic-related decline last year, PET to PET Recycling Österreich GmbH in Müllendorf, Burgenland, has drawn a successful interim balance for 2022 with a new record value: 15,131 tonnes of PET beverage bottles were kept in the resource cycle - this corresponds to an increase of 5.3% compared to the pre-crisis level (2019: 14,329 tons). "Together with our employees, we were able to overcome the major challenges posed by the pandemic. The armed conflicts in Ukraine have once again shown us the critical dependencies and thus the dramatic developments on energy markets," explains DI Christian Strasser, Managing Director of PET to PET.
Archaeological discoveries during site work
In the course of the increasing demand for recyclates, the company's property was expanded by 19,000 m² this year in order to create additional storage space at the site. Interesting archaeological finds came to light during the work. A burial ground from the late Bronze Age was excavated by archaeologists and handed over for restoration. After careful processing, the finds are to be presented to the public in a suitable manner - among other things, at the upcoming celebration of the company's 15th anniversary in September.
Investment in PV systems
In addition to the expansion, PET to PET GmbH is also investing heavily in energy efficiency this year. The newly created area will be equipped with a photovoltaic system. Around 12,000 m² of PV panels will be used, which in future will cover about 10 % of the required electrical energy from the company's own production. In further expansion stages, this figure is to be further increased. In the past, the company has already relied on 100% renewable energy for the operation of its plants.
Percentage of recyclate in beverage bottles already above European target for 2030
Austria plays a pioneering role in bottle-to-bottle recycling. The majority of beverage packaging placed on the market in Austria already consists of high-quality reprocessed used beverage bottles. "We are particularly pleased that major beverage producers are already using 100% recyclate from our company to produce new bottles," says Christian Strasser. The different use rates across all products in the market lead to an average recyclate use of well over 30%, which already exceeds the European Union's targets (30% for the year 2030). "The PET bottle cycle in Austria is a showcase project for how high-quality packaging can be kept in the cycle and a best-practice example for many other packaging plastics," explains Strasser.
