The Swiss circular economy is shifting up a gear. Following the Federal Council's decision on the new Packaging Ordinance, the familiar ‚Bring Plastic Back‘ collection system will be gradually replaced by the national ‚RecyBag‘. Since the beginning of July 2026, RecyBags can be returned as part of a pilot project in seven Denner stores in the cantons of Schaffhausen, Schwyz, and Zurich.
The Swiss Federal Council has a new Packaging Ordinance passed, which exempts plastic packaging and beverage cartons from the state waste monopoly. The principle of extended producer responsibility comes into force, making companies that put packaging into circulation responsible for its take-back. The regulation establishes binding recycling quotas of 55 percent for plastic packaging and 70 percent for beverage cartons. These new legal provisions offer organisations like RecyPac the necessary planning security to expand separate collection in cooperation with municipalities.
The ‚RecyBag‘ as a future-oriented solution
RecyPac, an industry organisation, is taking over InnoRecycling's previous ‚Bring Plastic Back‘ system and introducing the ‚RecyBag‘. This new solution is already being used by over 1.4 million people and offers a unified way to return plastic packaging and beverage cartons. InnoRecycling AG has focused on optimising the sorting and high-quality recycling of plastics, which also includes the construction of a modern sorting facility.
Pilot project in three cantons
The retailer Denner, a founding member of RecyPac, is launching a pilot project to test the return of full collection bags directly in its stores. Two different collection concepts are being tested: specifically developed collection containers are available in the outdoor areas of five stores. In two stores, returns will be made at a clearly marked point inside the store, next to the PET collection point. The RecyBags deposited there will be transferred by employees to a designated collection container in the outdoor area. The findings from the pilot project will form the basis for further steps.
What goes in the ‚RecyBag‘?
For households, little will change in terms of sorting at home. The ‚RecyBag‘ can be used for all plastic packaging and beverage cartons, such as milk or juice cartons. This also includes plastic bottles from cosmetics, plastic cups from yoghurt, and trays from eggs and meat. There is no need for extensive rinsing of the containers; they merely need to be emptied. PET beverage bottles are still excluded from this collection and should be placed in separate PET containers.
Source: RecyPac
