Waste in Switzerland
In Switzerland, each inhabitant produces nearly 700 kg of waste per year, more than double the amount produced in 1970! Of this waste, 333 kg cannot be recycled. It is therefore incinerated, generating air pollutants and non-combustible residues (clinker) that must be landfilled (source: Federal Office for the Environment, 2022).
The other half, or about 365 kg, is sorted and then recycled, i.e., transformed to create new objects (source: Federal Office for the Environment, 2022). However, this cycle is not infinite and requires a significant amount of infrastructure and energy, particularly in terms of transportation and recycling processes.
The cost of this waste recovery and management is colossal: around CHF 3 billion per year!
However, behind these figures lies a waste of resources that is still too high. Nearly one-third of household waste in Switzerland is still organic, when it could be recycled in other ways (Ville de Morges, 2025). Every year, around 30% of food purchased ends up in the trash, not counting losses that occur upstream in the food chain, during production or transport (Swissveg).
Added to this are other, more discreet but equally worrying forms of waste: hundreds of thousands of tons of plastic are disposed of every year, often after less than a month of use (Jacque, 2020). In the fashion industry, around 40% of clothing purchased is never worn in some countries (World Bank, 2023).
But this visible waste is only part of the picture. Behind every product lies a considerable amount of “invisible” waste, generated throughout its life cycle: from the extraction of raw materials to manufacturing, transport, and distribution. According to the WWF (2024), if the entire human population consumed as much as the average Swiss citizen, we would need the equivalent of 2.5 Earths to meet our needs.
It is therefore urgent and imperative that we rethink the way we consume, in particular by reducing our waste and adopting a more sustainable lifestyle. Each of us has a role to play in preserving resources and reducing our ecological footprint.
The Zero Waste principle
The Zero Waste principle provides food for thought on our consumption patterns and a roadmap for reducing our waste and minimizing our ecological footprint. Popularized by Bea Johnson, this principle includes five steps (the 5Rs) that each of us can follow in our daily lives to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.
The goal is not to deprive ourselves, but to take responsibility, question all of our current habits, and consume intelligently.
Refuse
what we do not need
Reduce
what we need and that cannot be refused
Reuse
what we consume and that we cannot either refuse, or reduce
Rot
compost the rest
Recycle
what we cannot either refuse, or reduce, or reuse, or rot
For more information on the 5R principle, see our PDF document.
This principle applies at an individual level and at a larger scale, for example in companies, schools or municipalities.
Benefits of a zero-waste lifestyle
Adopting a zero-waste lifestyle has many advantages, including reducing your ecological footprint, saving money, improving your health and preserving natural resources.
Do you want to get started with a zero-waste lifestyle? ZeroWaste Switzerland provides services for businesses, schools, municipalities, individuals and associations. Take a look at our “Taking action” and “Our tools” sections, and do not hesitate to get in touch!