History
In December 2021, the municipal council decided to stop contracting third parties to organise waste disposal and to provide the service itself. The cooperation with Schwendimann AG, which has lasted for 10 years, will come to an end and the municipality of Zermatt will take over the task as of 1 October 2022. The aim in this new phase is to ensure that tried-and-tested elements of the service are retained, and improvements are made where possible. Familiar faces in a new guise. All employees of Schwendimann AG will be employed by the municipality of Zermatt as of 1 October 2022, and an experienced logistics specialist will be brought in to ensure efficient, customer-friendly processes.
Infrastructure
The changeover will see the introduction of a new waste and recycling management infrastructure. The new waste compactors are smaller and more compact, and will in future be transported using the municipality’s electric vehicles. This will make it possible to provide an improved service to locations that were previously difficult to access. Switching to the electric vehicles in use locally will make it possible to eliminate the large side loaders and vehicles with internal combustion engines from the collection process.
Visual image
«THE RIGHT BIN» – a fresh and friendly visual image has been created to herald a new era in recycling management visually as well. The hand with smiling face symbolises the friendly support, attracts attention and directs users to the right container or opening.
Changes from October 2022
Internationally understood. Newly designed stickers on public collection bins will use icons to illustrate the intended use for each bin. Users can scan the convenient QR code with a smartphone to access a detailed list of what or what does not belong in a specific bin (DE, FR, IT, EN, PT). Try it out!
PET collection is being made more customer-friendly – in addition to collection at retail outlets, containers will now also be made available at public collection points.
In future users won’t need to spent time separating their paper and cardboard, as the two materials will be disposed of in the same container.
The compostable bags often used to collect kitchen waste at home cannot be recycled and have to be removed laboriously by hand. In future it will be possible to dispose of these empty bags, i.e. right after emptying the kitchen waste, in containers for household waste or the big household waste compactors.
More ideas are evolving and are under consideration, while others are planned and will be implemented as soon as possible.
Containers
The various containers will all bear a sticker in a standardised design but in a different colour for each separate collection. A QR code on each sticker will allow for immediate access to more information about what goes into the bin and how and where the materials are recycled. White arrows will be used to indicate which recyclable materials are already being fed into cycles for reuse.
Zermatt and the «Energy City» label
«The municipality of Zermatt is keeping pace with developments in the energy sector. Reducing energy consumption and promoting domestic energy production serve two goals – they help to ensure the effectiveness of environmental protection and are economically beneficial. Zermatt strives to offer a sustainable, environmentally friendly and high-quality setting for tourists. With tremendous cost pressure currently being experienced in the tourism sector, reducing energy consumption while leveraging domestic production will help to cut costs. We want to preserve our environment as well as we can for future generations. Zermatt also plays in the top league when it comes to the environmental sector, and this certification aims to raise awareness among residents and visitors with regard to energy and environmental considerations.»
