Viennese initiative Less garbage in Grätzl” takes off – join in!

Viennese initiative Less garbage in Grätzl” takes off – join in!

Things are getting busy in Vienna-Leopoldstadt and Brigittenau: The Evangelical Parish of Am Tabor has launched a new initiative that runs from September to December 2025 under the motto “Less garbage in the Grätzl”. The aim is to raise residents' awareness of how to use resources more sustainably and to strengthen the sense of community in the district. Under the leadership of the municipality, the project is also supported by the urban renewal funding “Grätzlmarie” as part of WienNeu+. Faith.at reports that the planned activities include a varied program, from a bicycle workshop to a flea market.

This is how it starts in September: A bicycle workshop, organized by the Fahrrad. Selbsthilfe.Werkstatt in the WUK, offers the perfect opportunity to get your bikes fit for the winter. In October it is the turn of the children and young people who get involved in collecting rubbish in the neighborhood and in a local recreation area. We continue in November with a charitable flea market, where clothing, books, games and Christmas decorations are offered to benefit social projects. The crowning conclusion in December is a textile repair café that focuses on creative upcycling ideas. The Federal Environment Agency highlights how important such initiatives are for waste prevention and that close cooperation between all those involved is necessary for success.

Joint efforts to avoid waste

To implement waste avoidance measures, a working committee will be set up to deal with the concept “Waste Avoidance Gratzl Brigittenau 2025 – 2029”. Members of this committee include the Brigittenau district council and various organizations such as wohnpartner, the Back Bone association, and other municipal institutions. The experts from the Federal Environment Agency will accompany the process and develop eight measures to avoid waste, which should not only contribute to reducing waste, but also to promoting the circular economy.

• 1. Reuse-Boxen am Hannovermarkt
• 2. Informationen und Bewusstseinsbildung zum Thema Abfallvermeidung
• 3. Tausch- und/oder Flohmärkte
• 4. Flurreinigung im Marktgebiet
• 5. wohnpartner ReUse-Regale
• 6. wohnpartner Mobile Beete/Gemeinschaftsgarten
• 7. Grätzlmarie: Schwerpunkt auf Abfallvermeidung
• 8. VHS Kurse zu ReUse, Reparatur, Lebensmittelabfälle

A look outside the box

The initiative fits into a larger international framework. In 2016, the New Urban Agenda, which promotes waste reduction and resource conservation, was adopted at the Habitat III conference in Quito, Ecuador. The BMZ website states that the global community must learn from previous achievements in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Waste avoidance plays a key role here, as it makes a direct contribution to climate protection.

The “Less Garbage in Grätzl” initiative and the numerous actions that are planned are intended to prove to some extent that an active and committed contribution can be made to tackling the waste problem in Leopoldstadt and Brigittenau. Residents are warmly invited to become part of this project and not only enrich their neighborhood, but also make a valuable contribution to the environment.