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.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Switzerland wants to examine cooperation with the EU in the defence sector
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The Federal Council wants to examine a security and defence partnership with the EU. Exploratory talks are to begin as soon as possible. Among other things, the partnership would be used for defence procurement.
Swiss trial shows organic farming is 85% as productive as conventional agriculture
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This is shown by the results of a globally unique open-air trial that has been running for 47 years in Therwil in the canton of Basel-Landschaft.
Nestlé fined by Swiss canton for illegally filtered water
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Nestlé has been fined CHF 500,000 in the canton of Vaud for the unauthorised use of activated carbon filters in the production of mineral water. The filters were used to produce Henniez water from 2008 to 2022.
Swiss government proposes restrictions on Ukrainian refugees
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Only those whose life and limb are at risk in Ukraine and who flee to Switzerland are to be granted S status in future. The remaining Ukrainian refugees should apply for asylum. This is what the Federal Council is proposing.
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The Fribourg parliament approved a sum of CHF6.4 million to renovate the ramparts, the walkway and the towers, as well as to replace the exterior lighting.
Swiss rental housing listings increase for the first time in three years
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For the first time in three years, the number of advertisements for rental accommodation is on the rise, but this does not dampen demand, quite the contrary. In Ticino, the average duration of an advertisement published on the main portals is 30 days.
Switzerland doing relatively well when it comes to child vaccination rates
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Progress in child immunisation has stalled. For decades, the number of children vaccinated against measles, polio and other diseases has risen. But since 2010, vaccination rates have stagnated in many countries, according to a study.
Plastic: How can the Swiss use so much and recycle so little?
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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
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Every year around 50 tonnes of plastic end up in Lake Geneva, located between Switzerland and France, a new study has shown.
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