PET to PET Recycling GmbH in Müllendorf takes stock: 32,283 tons of PET material - the equivalent of around 1.3 billion PET beverage bottles - were successfully kept in the bottle-to-bottle cycle in Austria in 2023. After the first few months got off to a promising start for the recycling industry, the rest of the year presented numerous challenges: rising inflation and persistently high energy costs resulted in savings in the industry. The significantly cheaper primary raw materials compared to secondary raw materials also worked against the functioning circular economy. Despite these difficult conditions, the company was able to maintain recycling volumes at a very similar level to the previous year (2022: 32,900 tons). "We responded to the challenges last year and took important forward-looking measures to invest in our recycling site. I am therefore very pleased that we were able to close 2023 with a fairly constant recycling rate of 32,283 tons of PET material, similar to the previous year's level," explains DI Christian Strasser, Managing Director of PET to PET.
Successful commissioning of the 6,400m2 PV system
The recycling company is now relying on solar power and successfully commissioned its first photovoltaic system at the end of last year. With an area of 6,400 m² and an output of 1,200 kWp, it is one of the largest rooftop PV systems in Burgenland. Currently, 2,373 PV panels are in use, covering around 10 percent of the electrical energy required from the company's own generation. This figure will be continuously increased in further expansion stages. PET to PET has already relied on 100% renewable energy for the operation of its systems in the past.
