Separating waste in Vienna

Newcomers commonly notice several bins in the courtyard or on the street and are unsure what goes where:

• Separate containers. The Austrian Integration Fund tells new arrivals that waste in Austria is collected separately, with containers for glass, metal, plastic, paper, organic waste and residual waste, and that people are expected to use the right one.
• The yellow bin. In Vienna, plastic packaging, drinks cartons and metal packaging such as cans go into the yellow bin or yellow sack (Gelbe Tonne / Gelber Sack).
• No bulky waste by the bins. Furniture and other bulky items go to a city recycling centre (Mistplatz), not next to the bins or into the stairwell.

The City of Vienna's waste department (MA 48) explains the system in its Mist-ABC:

• Paper (Altpapier): newspapers, magazines, books, cardboard and letters. Soiled or coated paper goes elsewhere.
• Glass: bottles and jars, without screw caps.
• Yellow bin: plastic packaging and bags, drinks cartons, aluminium and tin cans, trays and bottle caps.
• Organic waste (Biotonne): uncooked fruit and vegetable scraps, garden waste, coffee and tea grounds.
• Residual waste (Restmüll): items that cannot be recycled, such as nappies, cooked food leftovers, tissues and broken crockery.
• Mistplatz: household quantities of recyclables are accepted free of charge, and bulky waste, large electrical devices and problem substances such as batteries, paints and medicines are taken in. Working second-hand items can be left for the 48er-Tandler re-use shop.
• Deposit: drinks packaging with a deposit logo can be returned at deposit return points.

Which bins your building has depends on the building, and the house rules may add details, for example where bins are kept. When in doubt, check the Mist-ABC rather than guessing.