Waste Management Act – transcending borders

This year ÖBB Rail Cargo Group (RCG) is transporting 5,000 tonnes of municipal waste from Italy to the Netherlands for the Italian company DIFE. The amended Austrian Waste Management Act is also being applied internationally – which means that the environment can breathe again.

The new transport clause of the Waste Management Act (“Abfallwirtschaftsgesetz” in German, in short “AWG”) has been in force in Austria since January 1st 2023. Waste transports with a total weight of more than ten tonnes must be transported by rail if they are travelling over a distance of more than 300 km. The law is making a significant contribution towards achieving Austria’s climate targets.
The fact that this not only works extremely well within Austria but also transcends national borders through import, export and transit activities is clearly demonstrated through the transports on behalf of the Italian company DIFE. Every year RCG transports 5,000 tonnes of municipal waste for thermal recycling from Serravalle Pistoiese in Italy to Farmsum in the Netherlands, travelling through Austria in one go and covering 1,600 km of track in total.

On the move internationally with MOBILER

The use of innovative MOBILER logistics enables a multimodal end-to-end solution. The MOBILER containers are transferred horizontally from truck to rail wagon by means of a hydraulic lifting system. Pre-carriage and transshipment take place at Lugo Terminal, an RCG partner, which is connected to the broader network TransNET. Using the Lugo Terminal means that existing capabilities can be harnessed to their fullest advantage. For the main part of the journey, the municipal waste follows the Villach–Lugo TransFER rail route and then proceeds as a single wagonload to Delfzijl, before finally reaching Farmsum, its destination for on-carriage activity.

Thanks to the multimodal MOBILER logistics and the amended Waste Management Act, waste transport knows no bounds. Every tonne transported by rail allows the environment to breathe that little bit deeper.

Dife

10.08.2023