In many Swiss cities, household waste is disposed of on public land or in public rubbish bins. All of the cities asked by Swiss public television, SRF, confirmed this – in some the problem is bigger – for example in Winterthur. In others, such as Baden, it is smaller.
Some cities also rely on campaigns to sensitise the population. Not only Winterthur, but also Lucerne, for example: the city relies on poster campaigns, school campaigns or multilingual explanatory videos for correct disposal.
The problem has remained at a consistently low level for years. Accordingly, it is not one of the top problems, but the city is keeping at it.
For its part, in addition to labelling and notices, Chur also relies on targeted sanctions. “If there is any prospect of success, the disposed “bags” are searched for addresses. If household rubbish can be assigned to a person, a fine of CHF100 ($110) will be imposed according to the list of administrative fines,” writes the city on request.
At many locations, waste bins are already overfilled again the following day or weekend despite being emptied daily, partly due to the disposal of household rubbish. This gives the impression that they have not been emptied for some time. In Zurich, the largest city in Switzerland, illegal dumping of waste on public land – in the open air, for example – is penalised with fines. The city also has an inspection service for this purpose. Disposing of household rubbish in waste bins on public land, on the other hand, is not penalised – as things stand today.
