A report shared on May 13, 2025, outlines the results of “The Big Plastic Count.” Organized by The Gallifrey Foundation, Earth Action for Impact, and Green Peace Switzerland, this is the largest citizen survey on waste ever conducted in Switzerland.
From March 31 to April 6, 2025, 4,498 households representing 11,586 people reported their plastic waste. During this one week, participants threw away 215,463 pieces of plastic – the equivalent of nearly 9 billion pieces of plastic per year if extrapolated to the entire population of Switzerland. Food and beverage packaging represented 83% of the total plastic consumed with the most widely reported being flexible packaging in the form of films, bags, or nets that are often in direct contact with food.
Using the Plasteax17 database, the authors of the report estimated what the end-of-life destination would be for the reported plastics. Switzerland has limited recycling capabilities through its own management system, focusing mainly on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. Therefore, they predicted that 73% of the plastic waste would likely be incinerated while 22% would be exported to other countries, such as Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, or Turkey. Only 5% would be recycled within Switzerland.
In addition to counting their plastic waste items, 1,960 participants expressed their views on the availability of plastic alternatives in stores, necessary policy measures, and health concerns. Approximately 86% of participants believe that there are not enough plastic-free or reusable alternatives in stores and 91% think that companies, including brands and retailers, should assume responsibility by reducing plastic waste associated with their products. Almost all (95%) reported that they were concerned about the potential health effects of plastic, with 90% requesting complete transparency on the composition of plastics, including their chemical additives.
Based on these results, the organizing NGOs highlighted four key demands that they want addressed at the Swiss national level (FPF reported):
- Avoid plastic pollution at the source through binding reduction targets, banning unnecessary plastics or plastics containing toxic chemicals, and promoting reuse
- End greenwashing by ensuring the traceability of plastics and provide complete transparency on the composition of the packaging
- Develop reuse and refilling on a large scale
- Protect public health by banning hazardous substances in all plastics, including recycled plastics
Reference
Greenpeace (May 13, 2025). “The Big Plastic Count.”
