Swiss court suspends Geneva plan to ban single-use plastics
Volunteers collect plastic and other rubbish on the shores of Lake Geneva in 2018.
Keystone / Jean-Christophe Bott
Select your language
Generated with artificial intelligence.
Listening: Swiss court suspends Geneva plan to ban single-use plastics
A Geneva court has suspended a ban on the sale and distribution of single-use plastics in the city, which was due to be introduced on January 1. This follows an appeal by Swiss retailers to the Federal Court.
From January 1, a new law was due to come into force in Geneva that included a ban on distributing disposable plastics in restaurants and takeaway outlets, as well as in the food sections of supermarkets.
But Swiss retailers Migros Geneva, Coop, Denner, Manor and Migrolino filed a joint appeal with the Federal Court two years ago, claiming that the ban infringes their economic freedom. They argue that the sector has already made sufficient efforts to reduce the utilisation of single-use plastic.
Another part of the law – the requirement for recyclers to incinerate in canton Geneva – is the subject of an appeal filed by the recycler Helvetia Environnement, which also believes that the limited choice of incineration sites could hinder its economic freedom.
The Constitutional Chamber of the Geneva Court of Justice decided at the beginning of December to therefore suspend the law’s application, the Geneva daily Le CourrierExternal link reported on Monday .
More
More
Recycling is not the panacea for Switzerland’s plastic addiction
This content was published on
Switzerland consumes a million tonnes of plastic every year, a large proportion of which is incinerated.
This suspension appears to suit the Geneva government, which has also filed an appeal against the law, more specifically against its final version, in which several provisions were invalidated by the Federal Council. The federal government believes that Geneva’s waste management plan does not comply with the “polluter pays principle”.
The entry into force of the new waste law had already been postponed last year. The Geneva government is keen to maintain the suspension, while awaiting the Federal Court’s decision on the various appeals.
Depending on what the Federal Court decides, the final version of the text may have to be reduced further.
“We will have to live with it,” acknowledged Geneva minister Antonio Hodgers. But everything else will come into force and will make Geneva an “innovative” canton in this area, notably by being the first to ban disposable plastics, he added.
More
More
Consumers snubbed plastic bags after charge imposed
This content was published on
The introduction of a small fee for plastic bags in shops has had a dramatic effect on the number of bags being used by consumers.
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Abroad
The citizenship obstacle course facing spouses of Swiss Abroad
Thieves steal precious metals from Swiss watchmaker
This content was published on
Thieves raided the factory of the Swiss watch supplier Werthanor in Le Locle in northeastern Switzerland on Thursday morning. They fled across the border to France with precious metals.
Swiss court confirms guilty verdicts against Hells Angels and Bandidos bikers
This content was published on
Bern's High Court on Thursday confirmed guilty verdicts against six Hells Angels and Bandidos bikers involved in a violent clash outside the Swiss capital in 2019.
China rejects report on Tibetans and Uyghurs in Switzerland
This content was published on
The Chinese foreign ministry on Thursday rejected a Swiss government report suggesting that China has been cracking down on Tibetans and Uighurs living in Switzerland.
Fleur Jaeggy wins 2025 Grand Prix for Swiss Literature award
This content was published on
Zurich-born writer Fleur Jaeggy is the 2025 winner of the Grand Prix for Swiss Literature, the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) announced on Thursday.
USAID funding: Swiss aid groups urge foreign minister to act
This content was published on
Swiss aid agencies and churches have urged Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis to take action following the freeze to funds disbursed by USAID.
Switzerland to clamp down on foreign visitors’ unpaid parking fines
This content was published on
The Swiss government has agreed to crack down on parking fines and other driving-related penalties handed out to foreign visitors that go unpaid.
Streaming continues to drive Swiss music market growth
This content was published on
The Swiss music market generated sales of CHF249 million ($274 million) in 2024, up 7% on the previous year, with streaming driving most of the growth.
Migros sells Hotelplan tour operator to Germany’s Dertour
This content was published on
The Swiss retailer Migros is selling most of the Hotelplan Group to the German tour operator Dertour. Meanwhile the Hotelplan subsidiary Interhome has been sold to Hometogo.
This content was published on
The flu epidemic in Switzerland is easing. The number of reported cases fell last week, according to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH). But the wave may not yet have reached its peak.
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.