On January 16, the brand new RecyPac recycling system was launched in Switzerland. Here's what you need to know about the new scheme:

Nationwide plastic recycling system to launch in Switzerland

Presented on January 16, RecyPac will allow people across Switzerland to easily recycle cartons, plastic bags and other plastic packaging. The new programme, created by a collection of Swiss supermarkets and food manufacturers, is set to provide a “comprehensive, uniform and high-quality recycling system for recyclable materials."

While Switzerland already has a nationwide system for recycling PET bottles and cardboard, until now there was no way for residents to easily recycle non-PET plastics such as milk and juice cartons, yoghurt pots, shampoo and washing up liquid bottles, and the packaging around salads and fruits. 

As a result, RecyPac director Odile Inauen told Watson that just 3 percent of these items are recycled in Switzerland. "Of the 195.000 tons of plastic packaging and beverage cartons that are generated as waste in Swiss households, only around 6.000 tons are currently recycled," he noted.

How does the new RecyBag system work?

Now, households will be able to purchase RecyBags - like regular bin bags sold by local councils - and then pack them full of plastic items. These can then be dropped off at designated collection points like regular rubbish, after which they will be sorted and recycled. Inauen hoped that by 2030, RecyPac will allow Switzerland to recycle 55 percent of plastic packaging and 70 percent of drinks cartons, in line with EU targets.

Though RecyPac is a not-for-profit organisation, like other bin systems in Switzerland the cost of the bags will be used to subsidise the service. According to the company, a 17-litre bag will cost 1 franc, a 35-litre bag will cost 1,6 francs, a 60-litre bag will cost 2,4 francs and a 110-litre will cost 4 francs.

Which Swiss towns and cities offer RecyPac?

Though it's hoped that the system will catch on nationwide, allowing users to “collect the same packaging in the same bag everywhere” in the words of Migros sustainability head Christopher Rohrer, it is still up to local authorities to decide whether to take part in the scheme. 

As it stands, Bern, Dietlikon, Greifensee, Oetwil an der Limmat and Schlieren in Canton Zurich have adopted the new recycling system, with more towns expected to follow suit in the coming weeks. You can find out whether your town has been added to the scheme via the RecyBag map.

Switzerland lacks the capacity to process plastic recycling

While the new system will eventually bring Switzerland into line with other countries which offer nationwide plastic recycling like Germany, France and Belgium, several issues remain. Inauen conceded that the alpine nation does not have the facilities needed to recycle the items, so they will be sent to southern Germany or Austria to be processed for the time being. 

There are also concerns that the new system will allow the companies involved to continue to freely use disposable packaging which is harmful to the environment. "Material and energy must be invested in every new packaging," noted Greenpeace spokesperson Michelle Sandmeier, adding that when it comes to recycling, "The ecological benefit is very small and the effort relatively large."

Instead of setting up a nationwide system for recycling disposable packaging, they called on the companies involved to use the money to develop new, more biodegradable forms of packaging instead.

Thumb image credit: RecyPac