Starting this month, you can dispose of and recycle PET bottles and aluminum cans separately in public waste bins in the city center. The Department of Construction and Transport is supplementing existing waste bins at 20 high-traffic locations in the city center with separate bins for PET beverage bottles and aluminum beverage cans to make recycling easier, allowing visitors to the city to recycle “on the go.” The collection points are primarily located in the city center’s large squares, including Barfüsserplatz, Claraplatz, Marktplatz, Messeplatz, Münsterplatz, Theaterplatz, and Wettsteinplatz. Recycling aluminum and PET not only contributes to waste reduction, but also conserves valuable resources and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

The pilot project, which is scheduled to run until autumn 2026, aims to demonstrate the costs, benefits, and possibilities of recycling in public spaces. The trial will yield further experience with waste separation in public spaces. In addition to the workload and costs of emptying the bins, the Civil Engineering Office is recording the quantity and purity of the collected recyclables. Purity is crucial for the recyclability of the collected materials. If contaminants exceed 10%, the collected waste cannot be recycled. Purity is generally highly dependent on user behavior, location, and time of day. For example, the new bins will not be placed along the Rhein because previous tests found high degrees of contamination of recyclables with other kinds of waste in that setting.

Sensors installed in the bins report the fill level to the city cleaning department, thus supporting an efficient emptying schedule. Employees collect the PET and aluminum bags using small vans and, after temporary storage, hand them over to a recycling service provider for processing.

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