Repair & Re-Use: Second chances can be this green

In the topic series "The Seven R's of Waste Management" we report on the various aspects of waste prevention: Why repairing is the new throwing away, where there is even a bonus and how glass bottles can become a real eye-catcher?

Over 83,000 tonnes - that's how much electric waste is produced in Austria every is produced every year. On average, every household owns about seven appliances: refrigerator, washing machine, dishwasher, PC, TV. Others, such as mobile phones, tablets or hairdryers, are not included. When the appliances have reached the end of their life or are replaced by better ones, they become electric waste. Worldwide only about 17 per cent are recycled in formal recycling centres with adequate with adequate protection for workers and the environment. In too many cases, the rest ends up somewhere and piles up into large mountains of scrap metal - mostly in the Third World.

Repair with the "Reperaturbonus"?

Year after year, these mountains of e-waste grow. At the same time the lifespan of the devices is decreasing. In order to counteract this development, more and more initiatives are being launched that make it clear: Repairing, reusing and recycling conserves resources, helps to avoid waste and makes a significant contribution to protecting the climate.

According to the motto "repairing is always better than throwing away", for example, the repair bonus is available in Austria since April. People who have their old electrical devices - such as kitchen and household gadgets or consumer electronics - repaired get 50 percent of the repair costs (up to a maximum of 200 euros) refunded.?The "Reperaturbonus" is implemented with funds from the from the EU Recovery Plan and will run until 2026.

Re-Use with the "Re-Use Box"

Another initiative is the Re-Use-Box: Back in 2014, the Re-Use-Box was launched in Graz as a collection system for reusable small goods. Collected are sports and leisure articles, small electrical appliances as well as books and clothing that are no longer needed but can still be used. The Re-Use-Box is available at several distribution and collection points in Burgenland, Styria, in Upper Austria, Carinthia and Tyrol. The collected goods are are sorted by participating social economy enterprises, prepared for reuse and sold in their own "Re-Use Shops".

Re-Use of glass bottles

A typical and popular re-use material is glass:?Glass packaging has been used in the food industry for a long time, as they are hygienic, impermeable and odourless. When the jam has been finished or the vinegar is empty, it can be used as a vase, a loving lamp, a creative candleholder creative candleholder or as a jar for foodstuffs - Whether at home or in the dining room of a restaurant.