The market town of Maria Enzersdorf –
car park by the Kalenderberg

Maria Enzersdorf, a market town in Lower Austria, is a popular day-trip destination, largely owing to its prominent attraction, Castle Liechtenstein, perched on the Kalenderberg. Two 1,100-litre-capacity litter bins used to stand in the very popular and busy car park at the foot of the Kalenderberg. Unfortunately, these were being filled up every night with household and bulky waste by people living in the surrounding communities. Even the bus drivers regularly disposed of their rubbish at the parking lot. There was a significant waste-tourism problem that needed to be addressed with an appropriate solution. The new waste container should have sufficient capacity to last through the weekend without needing to be emptied, and should also prevent illegal disposal of household waste.

In 2013, Maria Enzersdorf decided to introduce the Solar Press-Shark in the car park at the foot of the Kalenderberg and remove the two existing large rubbish bins. The happy outcome: the illegal dumping has stopped, and the accumulated waste returned to normal levels within a short space of time. The resulting reduction in emptying frequency has also lowered our costs. The narrow opening of the Solar Press-Shark now prevents the illegal dumping of large household bin bags from the surrounding communities as well as waste from the buses. The bin compacts the waste that is put into it by five to seven times, which means the capacity of the Solar Press-Shark is more than enough for visitors to dispose of their litter in the car park.

Caption: The Littershark is the new tidy and elegant waste disposal solution for Maria Enzersdorf.

The waste management staff are extremely happy with the Solar Press-Shark, as the manual emptying process in particular is exceptionally fast and clean. The ashtray solution is a popular add-on to the Solar Press-Shark, as the location is often frequented by smokers. In the past, the ground was littered with cigarette butts, but thankfully this is no longer the case. The Solar Press-Shark has been hit twice by cars. But thanks to its sturdy construction, no damage has occurred, and repairs have also been negligible to date.

Engineer Klaus Jungwirth says:

“We bought the first Solar Press-Shark in Austria in 2013. As a small market town, we’re quite proud of this fact. The Solar Press-Shark has now served us well for ten years without any problems, and we are looking forward to the next ten years.”

Caption: Illegal dumping is a thing of the past. Thanks to the narrow opening of the Solar Press-Shark, large bags of household waste don’t even fit inside.

Project and customer facts

  •  Three times lower emptying frequency

  • No need for weekend maintenance

  • In operation for 10 years and counting

  • Waste tourism prevented

Engineer Klaus Jungwirth, Deputy Head of the Maria Enzersdorf Waste Management Department

“With the municipal council’s investment in the Solar Press-Shark, the entire litter situation has improved dramatically, as has the appearance of the town, which has a noticeable effect on the satisfaction levels of both the local population and our visitors.”

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