Refuse Recycling

You may not care about garbage. But it is impossible to overstate the cultural impact of Zürich’s garbage rules. The challenges of living in Switzerland cannot be understood without a working knowledge of, well, garbage.

To begin, there are at least different categories of recyclables. All are collected (or must be deposited) at different places following idiosyncratic schedules. Plastic PET bottles, for example, should be returned to the grocery store. [They must not be mixed with plastic milk bottles.] And, on the PET subject, dead pets, except for fish, should be returned to the store where they were acquired. Glass (sorted green, brown and white) must be deposited (during the week, between the hours of 7:00AM and 9:00 PM) in collection bins scattered throughout the city. Newspapers and magazines should be tied together, in bundles not to exceed three kilograms, using approved cord: these are collected every other Tuesday (in our part of town). Cardboard, also bound together into standard sized bundles, is collected every third Wednesday. Green waste (i.e. garden clippings) is collected every Monday (during the growing season) and alternate Mondays during winter. (We have recently discovered that, paradoxically, you shouldn’t put evergreen cuttings in the green waste container. The container has not been emptied since Christmas.)

The examples presented in the paragraph above simply illustrate the flavor of the situation. There are rules for rubble, ceramics, radioactive waste, metal (the city provides a magnet to help with classification), broken glass, shoes, clothes, lids, electronics, engine oil, feathers, mirrors and, well, essentially everything. Almost everything: There was a potential catastrophe when it was discovered that there was no classification for cat litter. The sewers became clogged as citizens thought of innovative ways to cope with the uncertainty.

A predictable human response when facing an overly complex regulatory environment is to ignore the rules. This approach is genetically impossible for native Swiss. There is, however, a large expatriate community in Zürich – and these people have to be ‘encouraged’ to take part.

Consider, for example, a typical American family. In the States, economic status is determined by the volume of garbage generated. What prevents a transplanted family like this from simply dumping industrial strength Glad™ bags into local dumpsters?

Well – in Switzerland the standard approach involves a combination of rules and financial incentives (taxes and fines.) Normal garbage must be discarded in official Züribags – pillowcase sized trash bags that cost about $5 each. So, if residents can’t stand the rules, they can discard anything they want provided it will fit in a Züribag. The bags, however, are expensive. Garbage police are in place to make sure that the rules are followed and that “Züribags”, not random plastic sacks, are used. The garbage police sort through the illegal discards for clues to the identity of the discarder. They are supplemented by local citizens who take it upon themselves to help the police enforce the law . (I realize that this may be a difficult concept to grasp in some cultures.)

“You even have to be careful with what you place in public trash cans,” my wife explained.

“What are you talking about, Nazy?” I asked.

“This morning, dear, I saw you drop a newspaper into a trash can….”

“… of course! I like to keep the city tidy.”

“Yes, but that particular trash can was designated as dog poop only.”

“Dog..”

“… poop only. But since you were wearing gloves, there won’t be any fingerprints so they probably can’t trace the newspaper to you. I just hope that Mrs. Stickelgroöber didn’t see you.”


“Me, too, dear..”