Cleanliness is part of Switzerland’s image. But a closer look at the statistics shows: Every year, everyone produces hundreds of kilos of waste. World Clean Up Day from September 19 to 20 is intended to promote waste prevention.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
Switzerland produces 6.1 million tons of municipal waste every year. Countries such as Romania and Poland produce significantly less.What increases the mountain of waste: disposable products, the poor image of reuse, the lack of a circular economy and complex recycling structures.World Clean Up Day takes place on September 19 and 20 – with campaigns throughout Switzerland.
In terms of municipal waste – i.e. waste from households, trade, commerce, offices and public institutions – Switzerland ranks high in Europe. And unfortunately in a negative sense.
A total of 6.1 million tons are produced here every year. That’s an average of 700 kilograms per capita. In other countries, the amount is significantly smaller: in Romania, for example, it is 303 kilograms, in Poland 364 kilograms.
So do we have a waste problem?
How clean is Switzerland?
Almost half of this waste is recycled or composted – but this also requires energy. It would therefore be best if we simply produced less waste. But how can this be achieved?
According to the Federal Office for the Environment, around 790,000 tons of plastic waste are produced in Switzerland every year. Almost half of this was used for less than a year – mostly as packaging.
The main problems
Many products are not designed for a circular economy – disposable packaging, plastic sleeves and a short shelf life dominate.Reusing instead of throwing away or repairing is still too rarely practiced. Waste avoidance has a low priority.Legal requirements for waste prevention could be strengthened and recycling could be made easier and more attractive.
Take part in World Clean up Day
You can take the first step yourself – on September 19 and 20 on World Clean Up Day. Millions of people in over 200 countries are taking part, and numerous campaigns are also taking place in Switzerland.
Information and locations near you can be found here: IGSU Clean Up Day. Influencers like Flavio Leu are also taking part and drawing attention to the issue online.
Flavio is this year’s Clean Up Day patron and explains: “Just as the internet never forgets anything, nature never forgets anything either. All waste leaves traces – and the effects are far more serious than a digital footprint.
In the blue News video, you can see how big cleaning campaigns are now going viral on social media and becoming a new trend. You too can show off your clean-up campaign: every piece of waste collected is a piece of visible change.
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