Recycle me this

One area that I have been surprised about is recycling in Switzerland.  My expectation was that I could recycle most any reusable materials and it would be a very efficient process.  In the US, I was used to a very "easy" town recycling program:  all recyclables were mixed in a container and picked up at the end of my driveway.  Any plastic, glass or metal did not even need to be separated from the paper and cardboard.

Now that we're here in Switzerland, not everything is recycled.  Plastics, for example, are only recycled if they are milk bottles or beverage/deposit bottles.  So, other plastics such as shampoo bottles and peanut butter jars cannot be recycled.  Second, I have to bring my recyclables to a recycling station.  I can recycle glass, metal and the deposit bottles down the street.  Materials like milk bottles, batteries and lightbulbs can be taken to grocery store return receptacles.

I have grown to like this process because I am pretty confident that my recycling will happen as promised.  In the US, I was somewhat skeptical about the process:  are all the combined materials really going to get to the right place?  Which plastics are okay -- can I recycle my plastic strawberry container or my used deodorant?  Here, what can be recycled is very clearly indicated on consumer containers. This is what is so fascinating to me -- it's just good engineering design for consumers to know what to do without any questions.  Here is an example.  This is a container from a box of teabags.

As indicated by the pictures, the teabag foil goes in the trash.  The cardboard carton is recycled, and the teabag satchel is composted.  Very simple.  Who wouldn't be able to recycle after seeing this?

Another example from a French cereal box:

The carton is recycled.  The plastic packaging is not.  Mathematically speaking, 87% of your cereal box can be recycled.  I love it!

So, you may ask:  why would someone recycle if they have to hand-deliver it to all these different stations? It seems that the Swiss culture is one to follow the rules.  If you play by the rules, they're happy.  So, you recycle.  I'm not sure what the percentage for recycling adherence is here, but it seems to be part of the culture, and I am all for it.  And because not all plastics are recycled, it seems that packaging is a bit more Earth-friendly.  For example, I can buy shampoo in a refill bag, rather than plastic bottle.

Recycling and the recycling process has always been interesting to me, so I'm enjoying seeing an alternative way to go about it.  I'll have to write another entry on the exciting adventures that we've been on lately -- particularly yesterday, with a train trip to Luzern and the Swiss Transportation Museum.