1 mio. correctly disposed packaging on the 2nd birthday of the RecycleMich app

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Vienna, March 15, 2023 – Austria’s first recycling app celebrates its second birthday with a proud record: 1 million recycled single-use plastic and metal packaging items, 18,000 happy winners and cooperations with major events such as the Vienna Donauinselfest as well as the Vienna City Marathon. No matter if you collect at home or on the road – the RecycleMich app works all over Austria. Now comes the next step, because from now on the app shows how scanned packaging should be properly separated and disposed of depending on the region.

On March 18, Global Recycling Day will take place for the 6th time. Action days like this should make us aware that our raw materials are finite and being used up far too quickly. Numerous global climate movements aim to educate people about proper recycling as a key element of the circular economy. However, the recycling potential is not being fully exploited, even though we should know by now that we are not holding waste in our hands, but recyclables!

This is exactly where initiatives like the RecycleMich app are needed. They can help educate about recycling misconceptions, improve collection, provide information about our recyclables and how to dispose of them, and stay in dialogue with people. “What is the goal of the app? We want an initiative where everyone – users, companies and the Austrian waste management industry – pulls together to achieve a common goal. The common goal is to sustainably protect our environment and drive the circular economy,” explains Christian Abl, Member of the Board of the Raan Group. “The biggest bottleneck is still the collection in Austria’s households. We want to bring all packaging back into the cycle. We need these recyclables to make packaging out of them again. Incentivizing the correct collection can make this happen”

The latest version of the RecycleMich app has just been released. The practical feature provides users with valuable waste separation info tailored to the region for correct recycling directly after the packaging has been scanned: the app recognizes where you are and therefore also knows in which garbage can the packaging must be properly disposed of here.

“With the RecycleMich app, we offer producers and manufacturers the opportunity to have the correct recycling of their packaging incentivized. The new waste separation info is designed to ensure that users recycle correctly. In this way, brand manufacturers take responsibility for the packaging they put into circulation and ensure that the collection and recycling of recyclables is improved. We are creating an important link between manufacturers and consumers. This is one of the key elements if we want to advance the circular economy and recycling in Austria,” Stefan Siegl and Ines Kilnhofer, as the management team of the RecycleMich initiative, explain this important milestone. According to a recent study by Brand Trust (Retrieved 08.03.2023), 71 percent of consumers expect brand manufacturers to show more commitment and act in a socially and ecologically responsible manner in order to eliminate grievances.

The app also has a lot to offer at the sweepstakes level. Once again, both Lidl Austria and Biohof Adamah have been secured as sweepstakes partners for the third year of the recycling app. A new monthly prize is provided by Sky Austria. The lucky winners now have the chance to win 6-month subscriptions to the streaming provider. And things also remain exciting on the app’s social media channels: together with cooperation partner Henkel, a new communication and awareness campaign will be broadcast from March. So stay tuned and recycle diligently!

Photo, reprint free of charge, © Raan Group 

From left: Stefan Siegl, Head of RecycleMich, Eva Müller-Axmann, Managing Director RecycleMe Austria, Marisa Pia Scholz and Gottfried Bieglmayer, Managing Directors of Reclay Systems, Ines Kilnhofer, Head of Marketing RecycleMich