Efforts to improve plastic recycling in Switzerland have shown a mixed bag of results among cities and towns, ranging from “exemplary” to “no significant effort”.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/mga
Português
pt
Reciclagem de embalagens plásticas varia conforme a cidade
Greenpeace Switzerland conducted a studyExternal link on single-use packaging and other disposable plastic products. Basel achieves a near perfect score of 5.5 out of 6, but five cities only muster a score of 2.
Each year, the average Swiss resident generates nearly 100kg of plastic waste – more than three times as much as the European average. Only 25% of plastic waste is recycled, a figure well behind other European countries.
External Content
Despite some recent measures, such as shops charging customers for plastic bags, Switzerland has no plans to copy the European Union’s plan to ensure that all plastic packaging is recyclable.
The amount of poorly disposed plastic is blighting the Alpine nation. A 2019 study measuring plastic pollution found that the concentration of microplastic in Lake Geneva was as high as in the world’s oceans.
Urged to improve
Greenpeace looked at a range of criteria for compiling its recycling performance list. These include official recycling policy set by each city, the amount of plastic handed out by takeaways and whether there are bans on using plastic crockery and cups in public spaces.
Basel and the Swiss capital, Bern, stand out as good performers. However, Zurich and Geneva feature in the lower reaches of the league table. The study does note, however, that Neuchâtel and Geneva have recently announced new recycling measures that are too late to be included in the study.
Switzerland is Europe’s fourth-largest producer of waste per head of population, says Greenpeace. The environmental NGO has urged Switzerland to improve its record.
More
More
Swiss to keep sipping from single-use plastics as EU ban takes effect
This content was published on
Single-use plastic items like straws and cups are no longer allowed in much of Europe. Not so in Switzerland.
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
What factors should be taken into account when inheriting Swiss citizenship abroad?
Should there be a limit to the passing on of Swiss citizenship? Or is the current practice too strict and it should still be possible to register after the age of 25?
This content was published on
After reaching a low point at the end of 2024, the Swiss job market showed the first signs of a slight recovery in the first quarter.
This content was published on
Switzerland's dioceses are making arrangements for the faithful to attend the Pope's funeral, including public screenings.
Vulnerable tenants hit hardest by Zurich evictions
This content was published on
More tenants are evicted in Zurich than anywhere else in Switzerland, which particularly affects older people on low incomes.
This content was published on
Swiss National Bank Q1 profits weighed down by foreign currency investments, which the rise in gold was unable to offset.
Plastic: How can the Swiss use so much and recycle so little?
This content was published on
Switzerland consumes three times as much plastic as EU countries, but recycles 30% less. Bans on plastic in the EU and China may change that.
Large volumes of microplastics exist in Lake Geneva
This content was published on
A recent analysis by the Oceaneye group shows that Lake Geneva contains large quantities of plastic waste smaller than 20 centimetres.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.