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.
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
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Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
TradeXBank to resume full operations after Sberbank Switzerland taken off sanctions list
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TradeXBank, the former Swiss branch of Russia’s Sberbank, will be able to resume its dollar-denominated activities from the second half of this year.
Geneva decides not to remove controversial memorials
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The city of Geneva has presented an action plan regarding a series of controversial local statues and monuments of historical figures linked to racism, colonialism or slavery.
University of Lausanne calls for end to pro-Palestine sit-in
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The pro-Palestinian occupation continues at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). On Monday evening, a group of students refused to agree to the deadline set by the rectorate.
Ukraine peace conference should include Russia, says Chinese ambassador
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China supports a peace conference on the Ukraine war that would see equal participation of all parties, says Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui.
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A majority of Swiss citizens have open attitudes towards various infertility treatments, including even egg donation, which is currently prohibited.
Reports of Swiss cyber fraud almost doubled in six months
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The head of the new Federal Office for Cybersecurity (FOC), Florian Schütz, has presented a new strategy after just over four months in office.
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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