Citizen Cards Used as Key to Recycling Center in Austria

For more than 15 years, Gassner Wiege- und Messtechnik has been working in close cooperation with Böck Entsorgungslogistik GmbH on the development of digital solutions for recycling and waste collection centers.

Böck Entsorgunglogistik GmbH

The goal of this long-term collaboration is to make municipal waste management infrastructure more efficient, transparent, and user-friendly.

A key component of these systems is the use of RFID-based citizen or customer cards. These cards serve as personalized access keys for recycling centers and enable reliable identification of authorized users. In many municipalities in Austria, every household or citizen above a certain age – often from the age of 16 – receives such a personalized citizen card.

Besides granting access to recycling facilities, the citizen card can also be used for additional municipal services. In several municipalities, for example, it has been extended to provide access to public facilities such as swimming pools, creating additional value for residents and municipalities alike.

Today, approximately 90% of Böck’s customers use this citizen card system. Overall, more than 250 municipalities across Austria have implemented the citizen card model. Examples of larger reference projects include:

City of Innsbruck (approx. 35,000 citizen cards)
City of Kufstein (approx. 23,000 citizen cards)
City of Wörgl (approx. 13,000 citizen cards)
City of Hall in Tirol (approx. 10,000 citizen cards)
Market town of Telfs (approx. 8,500 citizen cards)
Municipality of Wals-Siezenheim (approx. 9,000 citizen cards)
Municipality of Mistelbach (approx. 7,000 citizen cards)
Municipality of Kössen (approx. 4,000 citizen cards)
Municipality of Langkampfen (approx. 3,500 citizen cards)
Municipality of Wilfersdorf (approx. 3,000 citizen cards)
Municipality of Puch bei Hallein (approx. 3,000 citizen cards)

Digital Citizen Card as a Mobile App

As traditional RFID cards are increasingly perceived as outdated by some users, a fully digital version of the citizen card was introduced approximately three years ago. This solution is entirely app-based and designed for smartphone use.

Access is provided via dynamic QR codes, allowing the digital citizen card to be securely stored and used on any smartphone. This ensures that users always have their access credentials readily available.

In addition to access control, the app provides a wide range of information and service features related to municipal waste management, including:

current opening hours of recycling centers
real-time occupancy levels of facilities
information about accepted waste types and delivery conditions
live views of delivered waste quantities or personal disposal records

These digital services significantly improve transparency for citizens while also helping to reduce administrative workload for facility operators.

Integration into Municipal App Ecosystems

To maximize usability and adoption, the digital citizen card has been designed to integrate seamlessly into existing municipal applications.

One example is the widely used Austrian municipal app Gem2Go, which provides residents with digital access to various municipal services. Through this integration, recycling center functions can be accessed directly within the municipal app environment.

In addition, an open interface (API) has been developed to allow other app providers to integrate the digital citizen card functionality into their own platforms. This interface has already been used to connect solutions such as Gem2Go in Austria and Abfallplus in Germany.

Below is an excerpt of the possibilities offered by the digital citizen card.

Additional Integration Possibilities

The digital platform also enables further integration within municipal waste management systems. These include:

digital documentation of waste bin collections by municipal waste services
integration of automatic license plate recognition (ANPR) for vehicle access control
expansion of the citizen card for additional municipal services

Proven Systems in Practice

Numerous installations in Austria and Germany demonstrate that these systems are no longer pilot projects but mature, field-proven technologies.

By digitizing access control and information processes, municipalities can both improve customer service for citizens and increase operational efficiency while reducing workload for staff.

Contact

BÖCK ENTSORGUNGSLOGISTIK GMBH
Henschelring 13
D - 85551 Kirchheim

phone:+49 89 930 1986

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