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Reduce

Reduce, reuse, recycle – these are the three R’s of recycling and the basis of environmentally friendly consumer behavior. This means: reducing waste, reusing raw materials and correct recycling. We are happy to show you where and how you can reduce your mountains of waste:

Less paper:

  • Use double-sided printing ; print only what is really necessary ; archive documents digitally or re-use one-sided printed paper for notes.
  • Switch back to the tried and true cloth hankerchief – either homemade or bought e.g. from a package-free shop.

Mobile phones:

  • Upgrade your cell phone after three years at the earliest, and only when it stops working. According to the JAMESfocus report, Swiss adolescents replace their cell phones on average every two years – when a new model is launched on the market.

Avoid plastic:

  • Purchase cleaning products and groceries from package-free stores, which are now operating in many Swiss cities.
  • Avoid unnecessary take-away packaging. Many venues allow you to bring your own Tupperware, or borrow one for 10 CHF from «reCircle» network
  • Beeswax wraps instead of plastic: wraping sandwiches, covering used containers or making bread last – everything is possible with beeswax wrap, now easily available at: e.g. at OrellFüssli or online at naturtuch.ch (also available in vegan, by the way).

 

Additional Information

We Swiss rank at the top – in the production of waste!

With 716 kg of waste produced per person per year, we are right at the top of the global waste hit list.  This is due in part to our prosperity and the associated rise in consumption.  In comparison, the European average according to the European Environment Agency is around 500 kg of waste per person per year.  Nevertheless, according to the Federal Office for the Environment, we recycle around half of our waste in Switzerland.  Hence, we are conserving a lot of resources and CO2 emissions already.  Of course it would be even better to produce less waste right from the start and thus protect the environment even more.

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