The Federal Council has released a report in response to a postulate submitted by former National Councillor Isabelle Chevalley, focused on reducing the amount of waste being incinerated in Switzerland, “less waste incineration, more recycling”.

The report highlights the need to optimize the circular economy and increase the recycling of combustible waste as material, rather than burning it in waste-to-energy plants. It also sheds light on the ongoing initiatives of the private sector such as those led by Swiss Recycling’s “Drehscheibe Kreislaufwirtschaft” and the group “Prisma” which are aimed at optimizing recycling, with a particular emphasis on plastic products and packaging, which constitute a substantial portion of combustible waste.

The report also includes a description of the current situation of recycling municipal and industrial waste and the optimization potential in plastic recycling. The report emphasizes the importance of waste reduction and increased recycling to ensure disposal security in Switzerland without enlarging the plant capacity. The initiatives presented in the report focus on improving the structure and financing of plastic recycling, as well as building infrastructures for plastic collection and processing in Switzerland. Overall, the report shows that a circular economy presents a significant opportunity to reduce the amount of waste incinerated and support the energy transition in Switzerland.

The report also complements the comprehensive report “Plastics in the Environment” in response to various postulates on this topic, which aims to improve the recycling of plastic waste. With these reports, the Swiss government is committed to optimizing the circular economy and waste management practices to promote sustainability and reduce waste incineration.

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