Soft plastic waste: three-quarters is not recycled

Switzerland throws away nearly 9 billion pieces of household plastic waste each year, according to the study "The Big Plastic Count," conducted for the first time on a national scale by environmental organizations, including Greenpeace.

By the end of April, 11,586 people had participated in the project, representing 4,498 households and 595 students across 26 cantons, with a strong turnout in Vaud, Geneva, and Fribourg. For a week, participants counted every piece of plastic waste generated at home. The result: 215,463 pieces were collected, or 2.7 pieces of waste per person per day. Extrapolated to the national scale, this amounts to nearly 9 billion items per year.

First observation: flexible plastics used to package food represent almost half of the total , with a recycling rate of less than 0.01%. More generally, according to data provided by Earth Action, 73% of plastic waste is incinerated, 22% exported and only 5% recycled in Switzerland.

In terms of opinion, 95% of respondents are concerned about the potential health effects of plastic, particularly for children and future generations. And 91% believe that brands and businesses should offer alternatives.