Existing structures and financial framework conditions are not sufficient.

According to a study by the Federal Environment Agency, the EU recycling targets can only be achieved with difficulty with the existing structures and the current financial framework. Therefore, the legal framework should be adapted and the sorting and recycling capacities expanded. Producers should take on more responsibility for recycling-friendly product design, it said on Monday in a broadcast.

The European Union is setting clear goals for the handling of plastic waste for the next few years. By 2030, more than half should be recycled. Against this background, the Federal Environment Agency analyzed plastic recycling and the sorting and recycling techniques used in Austria.

According to the Federal Environment Agency, an improved legal framework is needed above all in order to achieve the EU goals. EU requirements should be implemented quickly at national level so that collectors, sorters and recyclers can prepare for the upcoming changes in good time.

In terms of the circular economy, recycling should be taken into account when designing the product. A change in the tariff structure for license fees that importers, packers and distributors have to pay to the collection and recycling systems would also be conceivable.