On average, 82% of PET plastic bottles are recycled in Switzerland – a figure which has been stable for the past ten years.
But the recycling association hopes the rate will slowly rise as it has collaborated with cities, communes and Swiss Federal Railways to increase the number of PET collection points in busy areas to reduce the number of plastic bottles that get thrown away instead of being recycled. The new collection points have been set up in firms, fitness centres, schools and retail outlets.
The association’s medium-term objective was to open 4,000 new collection points, thus another 1,000 must be installed, PET Recycling’s communication officer Stefanie Brauchli told Keystone-SDA on Tuesday.
The first plastic bottles made completely out of recycled PET plastic (R-PET) appeared in Switzerland last year. At the end of the year, 40% of plastic bottles were made of recycled PET, making Switzerland a world leader in the use of R-PET, followed by Germany. From 2025, all PET bottles in the European Union must be manufactured using a minimum of 25% of recycled PET.
While the PET plastic recycling rate in Switzerland is impressive, it lags behind that of glass, which currently stands at 94%. In 2018, 289,231 tonnes of glass were recycled in Switzerland, making it one of the leading countries for glass recycling.
This content was published on
Nemo brought the Eurovision Song Contest to Switzerland with a victory on Saturday evening in Malmö, Sweden. It is Switzerland's third victory in the history of the music contest.
Switzerland abstains from vote on Palestinian bid for full UN membership
This content was published on
On Friday, Switzerland abstained from the vote at the General Assembly on granting the Palestinians new rights at the United Nations (UN).
Protein in abdominal fat could help shape obesity treatment
This content was published on
The study analysed fat cells from different locations in the body, and found that those in the abdomen have unique properties.
North African asylum claims fall after rapid Swiss processing
This content was published on
The accelerated procedure, now out of its test phase, has resulted in a significant drop in applications from North African countries.
This content was published on
The artist's song "The Code" focuses on their journey as a nonbinary individual. It is one of the favourites to win this year's contest.
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.
Tonnes of plastic trash enter Lake Geneva every year
This content was published on
Every year around 50 tonnes of plastic end up in Lake Geneva, located between Switzerland and France, a new study has shown.
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.