Recycle Europe

It is very curious to see how wasteful people in the United States are compared to their European counterparts.

Almost everything here is recycled: paper, cardboard, metal, aluminum, glass, plastic. Every trash receptacle on the street has three compartments: plastic, paper, aluminum. For household trash there are large bins for metal and glass in every neighborhood (you cannot deposit items between 9pm and 7am per the sign posted on the bin – it makes too much noise), the paper and cardboard are picked up twice a month at your doorstep, and the aluminum and plastic are generally returned to the grocery store in special bins. Regular trash is 2.50 CHF/bag (a small bag I might add) and is picked up at your doorstep twice a week.

Stores generally do not offer you plastic or paper bags (you can get them for a fee). In addition to recycling they also do not even offer ‘convenience’ products to the public: no paper/plastic plates, cups, silverware, etc. For example, we went to the Christmas market yesterday and had some gluewein for 5CHF + 3CHF for the ceramic mug it came in. If the mug was returned, you received your 3CHF back. Starbucks (yes, we have 3 in Basel) does not offer coffee in paper cups with plastic lids and cardboard huggies – you must drink your refreshing beverage in the confines of their store.

The lighting in lots of public buildings is supplied by natural light. We went to the Canton office to get our residency permit and saw that the entire building was illuminated from strategically placed skylights. They did have fluorescent lights, but they were not on (nor were they needed). Most every stairwell, private parking garage, etc. has either lights on a timer or on a motion detector. The light is on only when it’s needed (what a concept!). They also use a lot of compact fluorescent bulbs which are much more energy efficient than regular light bulbs. Other different energy uses are: hot water radiators for heat and gas at 1.60/liter (that’s $6.06/gallon!!!) so many people walk and/or take the train – it’s difficult to find overweight people here.

It’s been an eye opening experience which will change my life now and in the future. Try to be aware of your resource consumption: how much do you throw away vs recycle, how often do you reuse your bags from the grocery, how many lights in your house are compact fluorescent? Recycle America!