VÖA - Vereinigung öffentlicher Abfallwirtschaftsbetriebe
VÖA
The VOA - Association of Public Waste Management Companies was founded in 2020 and represents the interests of municipal waste management companies in Austria.
ID: 655816944322-97
Lobbying Activity
Response to Circular Economy Act
6 Nov 2025
Die Zielsetzung, eine zukunftsfähige und dauerhaft etablierte europäische Kreislaufwirtschaft zu schaffen, wird von der österreichischen kommunalen Abfallwirtschaft ausdrücklich begrüßt. Die umfängliche Position ist dem angehängten Positionspapier [JEU_PP_Kreislaufwirtschaft_202510_DE_01.3] zu entnehmen.
Read full responseResponse to Clean corporate vehicles
8 Sept 2025
Kommunen und deren Unternehmen erfüllen bereits heute weitreichende Vorgaben der Richtlinie 2009/33/EG (Clean Vehicles Directive), in Österreich umgesetzt durch das Straßenfahrzeug-Beschaffungsgesetz (SFBG), mit Zielen bis 2030. Damit gehen verbindliche Beschaffungsquoten, erhebliche Investitionen in Fahrzeuge und Ladeinfrastruktur sowie bestehende Dokumentations- und Berichtspflichten einher. Kommunale Einheiten nehmen hierbei eine Vorreiterrolle ein. Zusätzliche Pflichten für die kommunale Abfallwirtschaft werden daher strikt abgelehnt und zusätzliche Auflagen oder Doppelregelungen müssen vermieden werden. Angesichts knapper Budgets dürfen keine weiteren einseitigen ökologischen Zielvorgaben zulasten der öffentlichen Daseinsvorsorge eingeführt werden. Wenn eine öffentliche Einheit bereits der Clean Vehicles Directive unterliegt, darf die neue Rechtssetzung in diesem Bereich weder zusätzlichen administrativen Aufwand noch zusätzliche Kosten verursachen. Im Vordergrund müssen Verhältnismäßigkeit und Planungssicherheit stehen, nicht die Ausweitung des bestehenden Pflichtenbestands. Statt neuer Verpflichtungen werden gezielte Förderinstrumente gefordert, die die Dekarbonisierung wirksam unterstützen und beschleunigen insbesondere Anreize für die Markthochlaufphase emissionsfreier Nutzfahrzeuge sowie die zugehörige Ladeinfrastruktur. Förderungen sind notwendig und sollen in ausreichendem Umfang zur Verfügung gestellt werden. Die gewünschte Elektrifizierung erfordert weitreichende Änderungen des Energiesystems. Praktische Erfahrungen zeigen, dass für die Flottenversorgung ausreichende Kapazitäten des Stromnetzes eine unabdingbare Voraussetzung sind. Hier sind parallel Anreizsysteme notwendig, da dies eine Grundvoraussetzung für eine zukünftige Flottenumstellung darstellt. Wir ersuchen die Europäische Kommission, sicherzustellen, dass jegliche Zusatzbelastung für Kommunen und deren Unternehmen durch neue Regularien im Automobilsektor ausgeschlossen ist.
Read full response3 Jul 2025
The foremost objective of Austrias municipal waste-management sector is to ensure that waste management remains outside the scope of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). A balanced and socially acceptable regulatory framework can be achieved only through a package of instruments combining a landfill tax, eco-modulation within extended producer-responsibility (EPR) schemes, and dedicated funding for carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS). If this objection cannot be realised politically, the inclusion of waste management in the ETS should be permitted only under strict conditions that guarantee a genuine level playing field for all waste-treatment methods. Imposing a sector-specific charge on municipal waste incineration plants alone would distort the waste hierarchy, redirect waste flows towards landfilling and, consequently, jeopardise the EUs climate-action and circular-economy targets. Instead, any regulatory package should apply CO costs upstream, at the product level, and earmark the revenues for investment in sorting, recycling and CCUS infrastructure to maximise environmental effectiveness, economic efficiency and social fairness.
Read full responseResponse to Waste Framework review to reduce waste and the environmental impact of waste management
22 Nov 2023
The European Commission's introduction of a framework for the reduction of food waste and an extended producer responsibility scheme for textiles is strongly supported. When revising the Waste Framework Directive, the European Commission could rely on Austria's experience in the management of waste textiles and the reduction of food waste. Already implemented measures for the reduction of food waste go hand in hand with education and awareness-raising among the public, through municipalities. However, further prevention is not the responsibility of municipal or regional waste management. Municipalities play an important role as those responsible for the management of municipal waste, especially waste textiles. An effective separate collection of waste textiles can only be achieved through a uniform separate collection scheme organized by local public authorities/municipalities considering the feasible contribution of local social enterprises. This promotes acceptance among the public and combines achieving circular economy goals with social objectives. In addition, local public authorities/municipalities have an obligation to provide services of general interest, thus the ecological aspect also has a noticeably high priority regarding the waste hierarchy. From a citizen's point of view, only one (uniform) collection system for waste textiles should be offered to achieve an efficient implementation and higher acceptance of textile collection. The mandatory involvement of municipalities, in line with that of social economy enterprises, is to be anchored as an implementation principle in the directive and specifically in the producer responsibility. The current principle of municipalities deciding within their own area of responsibility whether the service is provided by themselves or on their behalf by waste and recycling management companies is to remain unchanged. Numerous forms of waste textile collection schemes in the same area could lead to ruinous competition and thus to inefficient handling of waste textiles. This must be avoided at all circumstances. To introduce a nationwide collection of waste textiles by January 1st, 2025, municipal structures and established solutions should be used and expanded. Moreover, EU projects on the ECO-design of textiles, considering recyclability, are highly welcomed. Corresponding requirements for labeling should be added to assist automatic sorting. In case of separate collection according Art. 11 of the Waste Framework Directive, the facilities for preparation for reuse and repair must be granted access to the relevant waste stream. Separate collection systems for textile waste already exist in Austria. A duplication of existing systems should be avoided in any case. From VÖA's point of view, the following aspects are essential in summary: 1. The municipal responsibility to prevent food waste by environmental & waste counseling of the public is limited. 2. Ensuring the mandatory involvement of local public authorities/municipalities in the implementation of the producer responsibility scheme for waste textiles. 3. Ensuring a unified separate collection of waste textiles in responsibility of local public authorities/municipalities under consideration of local, social enterprises. 4.Ensuring a regional management of waste textiles as far as possible (collection, sorting, re-use) Further information can be found in the attached document.
Read full responseResponse to Review of the requirements for packaging and feasibility of measures to prevent packaging waste
24 Apr 2023
The European Commission's goal of reducing packaging and packaging waste is welcomed by the VOA - Association of Public Waste Management Companies. It is questionable whether a regulation is an appropriate instrument to achieve the desired goals. From the waste management sector's point of view, many points of regulation could be implemented in already existing legal frameworks. If a regulation is adopted, the legal basis of Article 192 TFEU (environmental protection) should apply in addition to the legal basis of Article 114 TFEU (internal market). This allows Member States to adopt or maintain stricter regulations beyond the regulation. The fact that numerous relevant details are to be regulated via delegated acts is also viewed critically. In this context, it is unclear whether the principle of materiality can be complied with. It is essential that municipal waste management, which is fulfilling its regional responsibility, continues to be rooted in extended producer responsibility. The draft does not refer to public or municipal waste management, but only this public service can guarantee sustainable and resilient waste management. This should not be endangered by the European Commission's efforts to assign all responsibility to producers. The involvement of municipal waste management in the implementation of producer responsibility seems to be lacking or not clearly enough defined. Already existing, functioning systems must not be thwarted by new regulations. The use of biodegradable or compostable plastics creates a new waste stream in the long term, which must not be routed via the biowaste collection under any circumstances. The danger of collecting other plastics is much too high. In addition, biodegradable plastics do not improve the quality of composts from organic waste and if they are not completely degraded, they remain in the product as additional impurities or microplastics. Therefore, biodegradable plastics create a new material stream for which the waste management structure still needs to be clarified. In order to be able to achieve the targets set by the European Commission in a sustainable manner, the recycling of (packaging) materials sorted before or after the incineration process must be eligible for the recycling targets. Furthermore, in the sense of the European Green Deal, ecological goals must be given priority over economic goals. We ask that our argumentation with regard to a sustainable circular economy be taken into account and are available at any time for further questions. For further information see the attached position paper. Further inquiry: florian.matzka@voea.org or office@voea.org About the VOA: The VOA - Association of Public Waste Management Companies is the lobby group for municipal waste management companies in Austria and has currently 32 members. The association represents municipal enterprises, which secure approximately 5,500 jobs and supply more than six million Austrians with their different services. Implementing circular economy and climate protection together as well as securing an affordable, successful, and modern public service in the long term are the essential goals of the association. Further information at www.voea.org or www.vöa.at .
Read full responseResponse to Waste Framework review to reduce waste and the environmental impact of waste management
22 Feb 2022
The VÖA - Association of Public Waste Management Companies welcomes the targets presented by the European Commission to reduce waste generation and to improve separate waste collection in the sense of a sustainable circular economy.
Product legislation (e.g. "design for recycling" and "design for collection") must be integrated into the concept of circular economy. Even the best collection, sorting and recycling systems alone will not lead to a sustainable circular economy. The use of recycled materials must be mandatory in product designs. It is also necessary to allow recyclable waste to be shipped across borders within the European Union for recycling in a simplified manner. Thus, the creation of an economically competitive secondary raw materials market in Europe will be possible, which is the basic requirement for a working circular economy.
Furthermore, sorting technology for separating recyclable materials from mixed residual waste has made considerable progress in recent years. This leads to a higher sorting depth and quality of recyclables from the mixed waste stream. The quality/purity of these recyclables is often comparable to the quality/purity of separately collected recyclables. In addition, other recyclables separated from incineration residues (e.g. glass, minerals, metals) could also contribute to recycling goals. Therefore, to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, the European Commission should ensure that recyclable waste that has undergone pre-treatment (including sorting) and meets certain quality criteria is also treated in the same way as separately collected waste and is counted towards the EU recycling targets.
The introduction of a complete landfill ban for all untreated waste as well as a strict enforcement of the regulation, as already done in many Member States, must be implemented by the European Commission in the sense of a sustainable circular economy. At the same time, energetic recovery of waste, that does not meet the quality criteria for recycling, must be maintained as the last pollutant sink as well as evaluated as sustainable.
The implementation of the harmonization of collection systems must be left to the member states. Communication, branding, logistics and other aspects of separate collection are highly dependent on local conditions and can only be optimized at this level. EU-wide standardization could lead to high costs, confusion for citizens as well as to declining quality of separately collected recyclables and ultimately to a reduction in reuse and recycling rates.
An enhancement of the extended producer responsibility is welcome, but municipalities as well as wider stakeholders must be involved in the roll-out and implementation. It is essential that operational responsibility falls to local authorities, as local authorities are closest to citizens and have the best knowledge of local challenges. Moreover, if the costs of collection and treatment are passed on to the producers, this creates an incentive to bring more repairable, reusable and recyclable products to the market.
If take-back systems are established, it must be done in accordance with the waste hierarchy. Repairable and reusable items should not be diverted into recycling streams and certainly not to waste incineration or landfills. At the same time, they must not be used by manufacturers as a business model and consumption incentive, as this contradicts the principle of waste prevention.
The Association of Public Waste Management Companies is the lobby group for municipal waste management companies in Austria and has currently 25 members. The association represents municipal enterprises, which secure approximately 5,000 jobs and supply more than five million Austrians with their different services. Implementing circular economy and climate protection together as well as securing an affordable, successful and modern public service in the long term are the essential goals of the association.
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