Waste handling and recycling in Switzerland

The Swiss are highly discipline when it comes to recycling and you will not NOT find any recycling collection points in every housing area and Gemeinde (municipality equivalent). For glass bottles and cooking + motor oils, they are usually found near local shopping centres and as for plastic bottles (two categories: 1- those used for soft drinks; 2- milk bottles) they are always located inside entrances of supermarkets. Having lived here for quite some time, I have to say these are well thought locations supporting their highly environmentally responsible/friendly society.

Lately in the past few years, I have begun to see deterioration in the attitude towards to cleanliness in public places. A good example is the children playground next to where I live; it's with empty bottles, plastic bags, sweet wrappers strewn all over the places, far from how it was when I first moved here. I hate to put the blame on the outsiders (foreign nationals a.k.a. Auslanders in German) as I am one of them, but I believe this issue is mostly attributable to the increasing influx of foreigners into the countries, especially those from the lower income / education groups.

While chucking off my recyclable stuff at the local collection point, I saw the following poster - confirming to some degree the issue I have just mentioned. Specifically, this notice in short is telling those who keep leaving their non-recyclable rubbish not meant for this collection point to stop doing it and bugger off!. The designated rubbish bags are pretty costly, hence, I guess the reason why some idiots simply leave them here!.

"Waste and bulky items at recycling collection points is UNFAIR!

Please pay the regular fee and dispose of your rubbish at home. Thank you!" .. is roughly what it says