How the system works
You buy official taxed bags (or pay by weight in some municipalities). Glass, PET, paper, aluminium, and often green waste are collected free – which is why Swiss recycling rates are high: recycling literally saves money.
Legal and illegal savings
Legal: compress waste, recycle rigorously, compost. Illegal and enforced: dumping in public bins or neighbouring communes – fines far exceed a year of bag costs.
A tiny but honest budget line
Small recurring costs like bags, Serafe and parking meters add up to real money – give them a home in your budget.
Track these costs in your own budget: create your free Swiss budget in BudgetHub – in English, with Swiss categories built in.