In Switzerland, the recycling system works exactly like a Swiss watch, and that is probably why it is so successful. There, throwing away trash is taken seriously and everyone is expected to play their part. It takes time for a person to understand the system, but multiple sources of information help to avoid mistakes from inexperience.
As early as the 1990s, some Swiss cantons began charging residents per bag for trash disposal. However, differences between cantons exist. The canton of Ticino, which borders Italy, waited until 2017 to introduce a garbage tax, and Geneva, which borders France, has no plans to do so yet.
The system
If in some countries it is normal to throw away garbage in which mixed with waste that can be recycled and waste that is not subject to secondary treatment, in Switzerland it is a serious violation. Similar to the system successfully implemented in Brussels, officials responsible for waste collection have the right to check that everything is sorted correctly and issue fines to offenders.
Every citizen of the country is encouraged to recycle as much as possible through various campaigns. Switzerland no longer adopts the practice of burying waste in landfills. Waste is recycled, either to turn it into usable energy or to help conserve natural resources.
Along with regulation, there is a financial incentive for recycling. Recycling is free, but improper disposal costs money. Recycling through door-to-door collection is not billed as a service. In order for trash to be collected, however, it must be in a bag with a special sticker required by the government. These special garbage bags can be purchased at supermarkets or other grocery and convenience stores. Bags, depending on their size, are quite expensive. They can reach a price of over 25 Swiss francs (approximately BGN 50).
Alternatively, Swiss citizens can recycle their waste at any of the announced public facilities for free, but must bring their rubbish to the announced collection points, which are located throughout the city.
Recycling signs
Paper waste such as newspapers or cardboard is collected in piles on the pavement at a given day and time range. Boxes of large household appliances, for example, can be returned to the store where the item was purchased.
Garden waste is collected every 2 weeks and must be left on the street in a special, easy-to-carry bag.
Plastic PET bottles are used very often in Switzerland and about 80% of them are recycled. This is much higher than the average recycling rate in Europe, which is between 20 and 40%. Residents can return these plastic bottles to supermarkets.
Glass and aluminum should be separated and left at local recycling points. They are usually near tram or bus stops or in main shopping areas. The glass is separated by color.
Most areas have a community compost bin and the resulting compost is spread in local parks and gardens.
Household waste goes into bags with a special sticker that residents can buy from supermarkets. Those bags come in different sizes, although they are all quite small because the idea is that most waste should be recycled.
The Results
According to the 2018 Yale Environmental Performance Index, Switzerland is the greenest country in the world. Recycled materials are usually either given a new purpose or reused. Two of the most commonly recycled items in Switzerland are glass and aluminum, both of which are relatively easy to process. Beverage companies often reuse glass bottles after cleaning them thoroughly. Otherwise, the recycling process melts the glass and then converts it into new glass or adds it to building materials. Aluminum packaging can be melted and reshaped any number of times without degrading its quality.
