In the quiet corners of parks, train stations, and city streets across Austria and Germany, a silent economy thrives. One that is not built on stocks or startups, but on discarded bottles, as there is a 0,20 to 0,29 cent deposit on them. These are the stories of Pfandsammler, the bottle collectors who turn empties into euros, dignity, and sometimes even survival.
Austria’s recent expansion of its bottle deposit system has brought both opportunity and visibility to this group long overlooked. In cities like Linz and Innsbruck, the introduction of Pfandringe, metal rings attached to public bins for depositing bottles, has transformed the landscape for collectors.
Take Johannes, a 63-year-old from Linz, who proudly calls himself a “professional Pfandsammler.” He explains how the new system has made his work easier and more fruitful. “They’re much lighter,” he says of the plastic bottles, smiling as he loads his bag. Until recently there was just a deposit on glass bottles.
Others, like Dan and Erhan, prefer anonymity. They move quietly through parks and public spaces, collecting with care and discretion. Their stories reveal a deeper truth: many collectors are retirees, migrants, or people living on the edge of poverty. For them, bottle collecting isn’t just a side hustle, it is survival.
Yet, the legal framework remains murky. In Vienna, rummaging through public bins is technically illegal, as the waste belongs to the city. Still, authorities often turn a blind eye, provided collectors leave no mess behind. While Linz and Innsbruck embrace pilot projects to support collectors, Vienna resists, citing aesthetic concerns.
In Germany there is some kind of inofficial rule to leave cans and bottles next to the containers, making it easier and legal for people collecting these.
I embrace it strongly if Austria would do the same.
