Saalbach World Cup Final Takes Modern Approaches To Waste Disposal

Together with the ÖSV, Gassner, a Saubermacher company, takes stock after the Ski World Cup final in Saalbach Hinterglemm.

To ensure that every waste ends up in the right bin, they relied on digital support through the Digi-Cycle app. Particular attention was paid to improving waste separation and encouraging visitors to dispose of their waste correctly. A total of around 10 tonnes of waste was collected and recycled.

"With the project we  support the circular economy, use resources sensibly and were able to set an important course towards environmentally friendly events." said Roswitha Stadlober, ÖSV President

The Alpine Ski World Cup final from March 16 to 24, 2024 ended not only with exciting competitions, but also with exemplary event management. The waste disposal company Gassner from Pinzgau, part of the Saubermacher family, and its dedicated team took responsibility for waste disposal during the nine-day event. This year, a big focus was placed on separate collections. Visitors had clearly visible waste collection islands throughout the event area where organic waste, paper, residual waste and plastic packaging including cans could be disposed of separately. Some of the waste on site was disposed of in a climate-neutral manner using an electrically powered compactor vehicle.

“As organizers of the Audi FIS Ski World Cup Finals Saalbach 2024, we are very pleased that, together with the local waste disposal and recycling company Saubermacher, we were able to create an attractive offer for professional waste separation on site and that it was so positively received by numerous ski fans. With the project, we support the circular economy, use resources sensibly and were able to set an important course towards environmentally friendly events,” said ÖSV President Roswitha Stadlober.

Efficient resource management for an environment worth living in

By setting up around 460 waste collection containers across the entire event site, using 8 employees, 2 vans and 2 trucks, Gassner managed to collect a total of 10,220 kg of waste and dispose of it professionally. Around a third of the waste was residual waste, almost a quarter was biogenic waste and 20 percent was lightweight packaging. Paper waste and stained glass each accounted for approximately 11 percent of the total amount of waste.

Hans Roth, Saubermacher founder, is pleased about the collaboration with the ÖSV: “We are proud that, together with the Austrian Ski Association, we were able to create a strong awareness of proper waste separation at the Ski World Cup finals in Saalbach. The successful collaboration shows that through targeted measures and the commitment of everyone involved, a positive contribution to climate protection can be made."

With its Gassner participation, Saubermacher will also take over the disposal at the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships 2025 in Saalbach and the learnings from the Ski World Cup finals use optimally.

Digi-Cycle: The on-site recycling guide on your smartphone

In order to digitally encourage visitors to recycle at the Ski World Cup finals, they were supported by the Digi-Cycle app. All recycling stations set up for the World Cup final were located in the app using GPS, which meant it was always clear where the nearest collection container was, even in open areas. 3x2 tickets for the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Saalbach 2025 will be raffled off among all participants who verifiably disposed of beverage packaging correctly using the Digi-Cycle app during the World Cup final or completed a quiz on the topic of “recycling at major events”. Participation in the quiz is possible until the end of April.