Published6. February 2024, 11:42
Güsel Police: Expat disposes of cardboard boxes in trash cans: 320 Fr. Fines
A US expat had to deal with the Swiss waste police in Oerlikon. A piece of cardboard thrown away in a trash can could cost him dearly.
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The Swiss disposal regulations could cost a US expat dearly.
He received mail from the police about a piece of cardboard that he disposed of in a trash bin at a tram stop.
He faces a fine of 320 Swiss francs.
A US expat (32) recently became acquainted with the Swiss waste disposal culture. He received a letter from the police in the mail: a “violation report” for “not observing the timing of providing recyclables.” If a judge decides against the expat’s objections, he could face a fine of 320 francs.
“My crime was apparently that I threw a piece of cardboard in the trash at my tram stop,” the 32-year-old told the online platform Nau.ch. The piece of cardboard was a package from a cell phone case he had ordered that he had thrown away. “I wouldn’t have expected someone to dig through the trash and look for addresses.”
Label convicts the wrongdoer
Christoph Mahlstein from Waste Management and Recycling Zurich explains to the online portal: “The person did not adhere to the prescribed time for providing the recyclable material.” The timing of box collection is intended to prevent boxes from being left on the street at any time.
Employees from the city’s disposal and recycling office became aware of the garbage offenders. The label still stuck to the package was the expat’s downfall, as the letter from the police shows under the heading “Evidence”. The report was then submitted to the police, who in turn handed it over to the governor’s office. It will then be decided there whether there is a bus.
“We don’t dig through public trash”
As Tobias Nussbaum, media spokesman for Disposal + Recycling Zurich, tells 20 Minutes, based on the ad he assumes that the cardboard was not found in the trash by ERZ employees, but outside. “We don’t dig around in public trash and look for addresses.”
On the contrary: “We are happy when the waste doesn’t just lie on the street,” says Nussbaum. It is true that public rubbish bins are only intended for rubbish that is generated along the way. “The packaging of a cell phone case is not a problem.” ERZ’s inspection service only becomes active in the event of illegal disposal – for example, if cardboard is placed on the street on the wrong day.
Have you ever disposed of your garbage incorrectly and received what you consider to be an absurd fine? Does where you live have absurd disposal rules? Then get in touch with us via Formulate!
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