The Swiss are huge supporters of segregating and recycling their waste. Soon the government will tighten rules on the disposal of plastic packaging.
Some cantons and municipalities already collect and recycle this plastic waste separately, but this practice is not yet mandatory.
That is a problem because according to the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), which is responsible for the country’s waste management, 780,000 tonnes of plastic waste is generated each year in Switzerland.
Out of that, only around 80,000 tonnes are recycled.
New rules
From 2031, plastic waste, such as yogurt containers and milk cartons, will have to be sorted and properly recycled, rather than just being thrown out with the trash.
Coop, Migros, and other retailers will be required to take back this packaging – as is currently the case with glass and PET bottles – or else organise its collection through external service providers.
In fact, the Federal Council may set binding recycling quotas for beverage cartons and single-use plastics.
What will this entail?
From that date, companies will have to record the number of plastic packaging they put into circulation; this way, the government will able to track what portion of this packaging is recycled.
With these new rules, Switzerland will align itself with EU recycling standards, though experts say the Swiss approach will be significantly more pragmatic and less bureaucratic.
What is the problem with plastic recycling currently?
The rules are not clear enough about the correct way of disposing of this particular material and, in fact, no separate containers for plastic exist in recycling facilities.
This is unlike other waste – such as PET or glass bottles, for instance, as well cans, paper, cardboard, batteries, and coffee capsulers, among others – for which separate disposal containers exist.
This system is often confusing to foreign residents who are not used to such meticulous recycling in their home countries:
READ MORE: Foreign residents are overwhelmed by Swiss recycling rules
