Müllendorf, 16.01.2025. PET to PET Recycling Österreich GmbH, based in Müllendorf, Burgenland, takes stock for 2024: 31,354 tonnes of PET material - the equivalent of 1.25 billion PET beverage bottles - were successfully recycled in Austria. This represents a slight decrease of -2.8% compared to the previous year (2023: 32,283 tonnes). Christian Strasser, Managing Director of PET to PET, cites the tense situation on the raw materials market as the reason for this: ‘The large price differences between moderate virgin PET and much more expensive rPET lead to a distortion of competition. Companies that produce their beverage packaging primarily from rPET due to their sustainable orientation are particularly affected - compared to those that rely exclusively on virgin material. Despite the tense market situation, the year ended with a good result overall,’ explains Strasser.
New office building successfully opened
The recycling company realised important infrastructure projects last year. These include the construction of a 225 m2 office building, which includes additional office space as well as social rooms with changing rooms and sanitary facilities and a large event room. In addition, a new 100 m2 workshop was built, which - equipped with all the technical requirements - ensures good production-related maintenance. In the production area, in addition to the expansion of the silo system, a particular focus was placed on safety and cleanliness; among other things, a centralised vacuum cleaning system was installed to keep machines and production areas clean.
Attractive employer in the region
PET to PET has established itself as an important employer in Burgenland. The recycling company constantly endeavours to offer its 96-strong team good training and further education, focusing primarily on personal development and team building. ‘Training and promoting young talent is particularly important to us. For this reason, we will be offering two apprenticeships for the first time this year and are planning to train one apprentice as a waste disposal and recycling specialist and one junior employee as an office administrator,’ says Thomas Billes, Managing Director of PET to PET.
Outlook: PET to PET expands storage capacities
Following the introduction of the deposit system on 1 January 2025, PET to PET is expecting improvements but also changes to the input material that will lead to a further increase in quality. The company is therefore planning to adapt its production plant in order to be able to react to the changes in material quality accordingly.
The recycling company is investing in the construction of a further 140 m³ silo in order to be equipped for the larger return volume. In addition, part of the existing open-air storage area is to be fitted with a 2,400 m² roof to protect the recyclates packed in BigBags from the weather.
Christian Strasser is the new President of IV-Burgenland
Christian Strasser has been at the helm of IV-Burgenland as President since 10 January 2025. As the former Vice President, he will take over the agenda from Heidi Adelwöhrer until the scheduled election in 2026. Strasser's goal is to prepare Burgenland as an industrial location for the future and to get young people interested in technology.
