Just under 90% of Zurich citizens on Sunday said yes to the idea, which the cantonal government proposed as an alternative to an initiative by the young Green Party. All political parties were in favour of the idea.
The canton’s constitution will therefore be adapted to include an article calling on authorities to create frameworks for a “considerate treatment of resources, materials, and goods, as well as the closing of materials loops”.
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The circular economy: a new way of making and using things
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Switzerland is good at collecting and recycling materials. But various hurdles stand in the way of developing a circular economy in other sectors.
Authorities hope the article will mean more attention is paid to the question of how raw materials are used, and re-used. It’s also assumed that gains in efficiency will help to reduce not only waste, but also energy use.
The Neue Zürcher Zeitung newspaper writes that each resident of Zurich produces an average of three tonnes of waste each year; two tonnes of this is then recycled. Most waste comes from the construction sector, the paper says.
Zurich is the first of the 26 Swiss cantons to include the circular economy in its constitution. Earlier this month, Bern’s cantonal parliament accepted a Green Party postulate calling for the setting up of more infrastructure and incentives to boost the circular economy.
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Switzerland strives for a more sustainable economy
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With consumption and inflation on the rise, Switzerland could do more to transition to a circular economy and recycle billions of tonnes of materials.
Bodycams: essential for good law enforcement, or a privacy risk?
Did you ever come across bodycams in your place of residence and if so, how do you think the use of bodycams alter the relationship between the public and (transport) police?
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
Swiss politician resigns after firing shots at Jesus picture
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Zurich politician Sanija Ameti has been heavily criticised and reported to the police after firing shots at a picture with a Christian motif.
Thousands of signatures for Bern initiative disappear
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A package containing signatures to be certified for the city's minimum wage initiative has gone missing from the Bern City Chancellery.
Swiss Federal Railways reports lower profit, higher punctuality
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Swiss Federal Railways made only half as much profit in the first half of 2024 as in the same period of the previous year.
Swiss Re sees demand for reinsurance rise amid natural disasters
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Swiss Re anticipates an increase in demand for reinsurance coverage in response to growing environmental and political risks.
New labour agreement for Edelweiss pilots to come into force this year
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The newly negotiated collective labor agreement (CLA) for cockpit staff at the airline Edelweiss is to be signed this year. According to the pilots' association, the original aim was for the new CLA to come into force in fall 2024.
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The head of the group of experts for the Swiss government's savings proposals sees his work vindicated by the criticism coming from the right and the left.
Hotel rates already spiking ahead of 2025 Eurovision in Basel
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A week after Basel was chosen to host the Eurovision Song Contest next year, hotel prices are soaring in neighboring cities.
The battle against global e-waste dumping reaches tipping point
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Switzerland is pushing to modify an international accord so that all e-waste shipped abroad gets prior consent from destination countries.
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