Research

Within this project a exhibition focussing on the topic of reuse for electric appliances will be developed. The traveling exhibition “Power on! – Electrical Appliances in the Cycle” vividly illustrates how electrical appliances can be used more sustainably. It focuses on the topics of resource conservation, repair, reuse, and recycling. Visitors learn about the valuable raw materials found in everyday devices such as smartphones, laptops, and household appliances, as well as the environmental consequences of a short lifespan. Through interactive stations, illustrative examples, and easy-to-understand information, the exhibition traces the life cycle of electronic devices—from raw material extraction through production and use to reuse and recycling. At the same time, it highlights concrete actions consumers can take, such as repairing instead of throwing away, using refurbished devices, passing on used devices, or properly disposing of old electronic devices. The traveling exhibition is primarily designed for schools, with a focus on lower secondary level, but can also be flexibly used in communities, educational institutions, libraries, or at events. The goal is to raise awareness of the circular economy and promote responsible use of electrical appliances. The traveling exhibition is primarily designed for schools (for students aged 12 and older), but is also offered at other locations and events (e.g., the Vienna Mistfest). The exhibition’s success will be evaluated.

The AVÖL project aims to comprehensively update the data on preventable food waste in the Austrian food industry and food service sector and to derive effective waste prevention measures from this data. The starting point is that the currently available industry-specific data is based on surveys from 2015/2016 and is therefore of only limited relevance to current political, operational, and environmental requirements. The project will therefore use industry-wide surveys of selected companies in the Austrian food industry, qualitative interviews, and waste sorting analyses to collect data on current volumes, causes, composition, and disposal routes of food waste, as well as packaging waste. Building on this, existing waste prevention measures will be evaluated in terms of their effectiveness and efficiency, and at least five concrete measures will be implemented, monitored, and evaluated in partner companies. In addition to generating reliable data and practical recommendations for action, the project aims to establish a network for food waste prevention in the food industry to ensure knowledge transfer and long-term implementation within the sector. In this way, the project makes a concrete contribution to resource conservation, cost reduction, and the reduction of environmental impacts along the entire value chain.

Studies show that many schools in Vienna regularly generate large amounts of food waste from lunch. Despite efforts to optimize order quantities, the amount of waste remains high. For hygiene reasons, meals that have already been served cannot be reused. Even unopened but reheated meals would generally still be edible; however, due to a lack of suitable refrigeration facilities, they cannot be redistributed and must be disposed of. At the same time, social service organizations have an ongoing need for food that currently cannot be adequately met due to logistical and legal hurdles. As a result, significant potential for waste prevention and resource conservation remains untapped. Legal and hygiene concerns raised by MA56 (Schools) and MA59 (Market Office) were recently clarified, and with proper refrigeration of the food, nothing now stands in the way of donating food from school catering services. The goal of the project is to procure and install five rapid coolers/blast freezers at selected school locations. These devices enable the rapid and hygienically safe cooling of surplus, originally sealed food (e.g., from +65 °C to +3 °C), so that it can be donated to social institutions in compliance with the law. The project involves the selection, procurement, and installation of the equipment for schools and nonprofit organizations identified in advance. Through collaboration between schools and social service organizations, the project aims to establish long-term regional partnerships and reduce food waste.