Resilient Waste Management Services.
Lessons learnt from the pandemic – managing unavoidable personal contact.

Odolný systém služieb na spracovanie odpadov.
Ponaučenia z pandémie – zvládanie nevyhnutného osobného kontaktu.

Due to the pandemic, waste management facilities and collection services had to be adapted in case of shortfalls, widespread infection and failure of teams and infrastructure.

Some measures of precaucion didn’t become reality, cause luckily there were no bigger outfalls. It was rather the behaviour of consumers, which made public waste management to react immediately. People emptied theire wardrobes when textile collection couldn’t take increasing quantities, people rushed communal drop off centers, when service was limited to one by one.

Drinks and beverages werde consumed at home when restaurants had to be closed and so communal authorities recognized certain increase in demand of packaging collection services.

Communal authorities designed plans to keep services going and not to collapse, which consisted in the implementation of „Reserve-collection-teams“, reduced „Must have-infrastructure“ for sorting and storage in case of widespread infection, Priority-lists (regular door to door collection should be provided as long as possible (collection teams have been strictly separated in shift operation teams)), in case of capacity shortfalls: Fullservice downgrade to mimimum service (strict curbside collection without any addictional service).

At the end we managed it and not even one kilogram of clothes or garement had to be incinerated, all services kept going on, after a short period of a five weeks, even DOCs were open again to public.

Dr. Christian Schreyer, Manager of the Umbrella Organization of Styrian Waste Management Associations. Since 1992 working in public waste management. Main areas of responsibility: Organization systems in public waste management, waste fees, PAYT, Public recycling yards, collection systems, public tendering, public relations.

Umbrella Organization of Styrian Waste Management Associations: Stakeholder for 17 Waste Management Associations, Contact point to private waste management groups, legislation, Head for organization of public relation in Styria.