Cities, municipalities and schools welcome the initiative
"We work every day to motivate people to dispose of their waste correctly," says Matthias Nabholz, head of the Basel-Stadt Office for Environment and Energy. "The label underlines the importance of the task of tackling the littering problem consistently and together with the population. In addition, the award is confirmation that we are on the right track."

Martin Frei, technical employee of the St. Margrethen building administration, is also pleased about the launch of the label: "The No Litter label means a great opportunity for us to show the population in a crisp way what we are doing and what actions we have planned for the future."
Denise Widmer, principal of the Suhr school, thinks it is important that the label can also be applied for by schools: "The correct handling of waste must be learned from an early age. The label motivates schools to address the issue of littering even more intensively and rewards those who are already successfully working for a clean environment."

The label identifies and promotes committed institutions
All cities, municipalities and schools in Switzerland have the opportunity to apply for the label. To do so, the institution must commit to the catalog of requirements and provide a sufficient performance promise. If the city, municipality or school is awarded the label, it can use it free of charge in all its communications during the relevant calendar year, thus demonstrating in a high-profile way that littering is not accepted in its institution's area of responsibility. In this way, it reinforces the impact of its anti-littering measures.

Littering is unsightly and costs
The need for anti-littering measures is confirmed by the IGSU's Litter Index. According to last year's survey, almost three quarters of respondents feel "rather strongly" to "strongly" disturbed by litter lying around. In addition, littering causes costs in the eight-digit range every year: "According to a study by the FOEN from 2010, the cleaning effort throughout Switzerland at that time amounted to almost 200 million Swiss francs per year," Marco Buletti, Section Head of the Waste and Raw Materials Division of the Federal Office for the Environment FOEN, points out. Around 75% of this would have to be borne by cities and municipalities. "The IGSU's No Litter label shows appreciation for those institutions that are committed to combating littering and ensures that the focus is not only on problems, but also on solutions," says Marco Buletti.

The data on the Swiss electricity supply mix (electricity mix ex socket, see box) is collected annually and published on www.stromkennzeichnung.ch in the Electricity Labeling Cockpit. The data published today provide information about the electricity supply 2015. The following picture emerges:

• 53.4% of the electricity supplied in 2015 was used in Large hydropower plants (2014: 49.5%). Of the hydropower supplied, 88.8% (2014: 87.6%) was produced in Switzerland.
• 20.7% (2014: 26.0%) of the electricity supplied was used in Nuclear power plants is produced. This is lower than the share of nuclear energy in the Swiss production mix (34%). Switzerland accounts for 88.2% of the nuclear energy supplied.
• 19.4% (2014: 18.1%) of the electricity supplied came from non-verifiable energy sources. This relatively high share is probably due to the fact that electricity from fossil and nuclear sources is increasingly being procured on the European market without purchasing corresponding guarantees of origin. Compared with the previous year, however, the share of non-verifiable energy sources has increased only slightly.
• The share new renewable energy sources (solar, wind, biomass, and small hydropower) is steadily increasing, from 4.7% (2014) to 4.9% in 2015. 94% of this was produced in Switzerland, and nearly three-quarters was subsidized by the compensatory feed-in tariff (KEV).
• In small quantities, the electricity supplied in 2015 came from Waste (1%) and fossil energy sources (0.6%).

More transparency

In order to increase transparency for customers and ensure the quality of electricity labeling, the Federal Council has already implemented various measures. Since 2013, all power plants - with the exception of very small plants - must be registered in the guarantee of origin system, which is managed by the national grid company Swissgrid. In addition, the Energy Ordinance requires suppliers to use all existing guarantees of origin for electricity labeling and to declare a share of "non-verifiable energy sources" of over 20% to their customers.

At the beginning of 2016, the Federal Council also showed in the report "Electricity labeling: Full declaration obligation with guarantees of origin" how the energy sources that cannot be verified (gray electricity) could be completely eliminated. Based on this report, the full declaration was included in the proposal of 1 February 2017 for the revision of the Energy Ordinance.

Diesel vehicles are once again in the headlines. The reason for this is the latest measurement results from the Empawhich show how much nitrogen oxides modern diesel cars emit. Nitrogen oxides are particularly problematic in connection with ozone formation in summer. In cities, nitrogen oxides from traffic regularly exceed the prescribed limits.
"Anyone who already wants to drive cleaner than the law requires can do so today," writes Empa in the latest issue of its magazine "Empa Quarterly", suggesting the purchase of a natural gas/biogas vehicle. In fact, the gas cars tested achieved excellent measured values: While modern Euro 6 diesel cars emitted up to 1400 mg/km of nitrogen oxides, the gas cars were below 10 mg/km. They were thus 60 to 140 times cleaner on the road than the diesel vehicles measured. The maximum values of a gasoline car also tested were over 50 mg/km.

At least 10% Biogas
Gas-powered vehicles are on the road in Switzerland with a biogas content of at least 10 percent. They not only emit less nitrogen oxide than conventional vehicles, but also much less CO2 and other pollutants that are harmful to the environment and health, such as particulate matter. For years, the Auto Environmental List of the Swiss Transport Club (VCS) has confirmed the environmental friendliness of gas-powered vehicles. In 2017, they again achieved top rankings.

Text: VSG

In Switzerland, waste electrical and electronic equipment can be handed in for recycling free of charge. This is thanks to the advance recycling fee (vRG), which is charged when a new product is purchased. Electronics recycling is organized and managed by the two take-back systems SENS eRecycling and Swico Recycling. In 2016, a total of 137,808 tons of e-waste was generated (previous year 133,789). In terms of total weight, 62 percent is accounted for by household appliances and light bulbs (SENS eRecycling), while 38 percent is old IT, telecommunications and consumer electronics equipment (Swico Recycling).

Higher take-back volumes for household appliances and photovoltaics
In the SENS system, 85,446 tons of electrical and electronic equipment were taken back and processed. Compared with the previous year, the volume taken back increased in almost all categories. Large and small household appliances were the main contributors to this result, with increases of 10 and 11 percent respectively. On the other hand, the volumes of luminaires (-18%) and illuminants (-1%) declined. The development in photovoltaics is exciting - since the beginning of 2015, modules have been taken back at all SENS collection points. The first generation photovoltaic systems are now being continuously dismantled and replaced by modern, efficient systems. This trend is very clearly reflected in the take-back rates: while around 70 tons of PV modules were recycled with SENS in 2015, this figure was already around 120 tons in 2016.

Lightweights remain on trend
The trend towards more powerful and at the same time lighter ICT products continued in 2016. The total weight of returned products fell by around 4 percent last year. A total of 52,362 tons of IT, consumer electronics and telecommunications equipment were returned (previous year: 54,721 tons).
This is in contrast to unit sales, which continued to rise. The main reason for this is still the redistribution of flat screens and CRTs. In 2016, 52 percent more flat-screen TVs and 30 percent more flat-screen PC monitors were returned in terms of total weight. The situation was quite different for CRT televisions and PC monitors. Here, the weight fell by 34 percent (TV) and 39 percent (PC) respectively.

The national consumption of electricity in Switzerland was 62.6 billion kWh in 2016. After deducting transmission and distribution losses of 4.4 billion kWh, electricity consumption was 58.239 billion kWh. This is 0.01% or 7 million kWh less than in 2015 (58.246 billion kWh). Year-on-year changes were -1.2% in the first, +1.0% in the second, -2.8% in the third and +2.8% in the fourth quarter of 2016.

Source: SFOE

The more fluctuating solar and wind energy is fed into the grid, the higher the probability that more electricity will be generated than consumed at any given time. To make use of this surplus, storage facilities are an option - or else plants that offer negative balancing power. The energy company Alpiq has now been commissioned for the first time in Niedergösgen: The power-to-heat (P2H) plant uses the surplus electricity to produce process steam in two electrode boilers, each with an electrical output of 11 MW.

Contribute to grid stability

Alpiq offers the flexible negative power of the power-to-heat plant on the balancing energy market. The operators of the transmission grid use the power to balance out the differences between the electricity generated and consumed, thus ensuring grid stability. This offers new business opportunities for the energy group.

The plant is located on the site of the Gösgen hydropower plant. The location is optimal with regard to flexible use of the P2H plant because of the proximity of the steam line between the Gösgen nuclear power plant and the Model AG paper mill, as well as the proximity to the hydropower plant and electricity grid infrastructure.

In addition to marketing in the balancing energy market, there is the possibility of cooperation with the Model AG paper mill. The paper mill already uses process steam from the nuclear power plant - but so far the supply has been interrupted during the annual overhaul of the NPP. The new plant can now compensate for this. It feeds the process steam directly into the existing heating steam line.

The heart of the plant, the boiler house housing the two steam generators, was built by Alpiq. Construction began at the beginning of October 2016 and cost around CHF 6 million.

Research institutions, companies, and start-ups place great importance on the work of the Commission for Technology and Innovation CTI largely a good report card: Their work is target-oriented and unbureaucratic, the R&D instruments are coordinated and the coaching is useful. One criticism is that the CTI's services are still too little known. These are the results of two external evaluations and impact analyses on innovation promotion commissioned by the CTI.

The external evaluation attests to the CTI's coherent set of coordinated instruments in the area of R&D project funding, with which both science- and market-driven innovation projects are promoted. The project partners also rate positively the lean and unbureaucratic structure with short processing times and the expertise from the market and science. According to the evaluation, satisfaction with the implementation is high among both the research partners and the business partners, and slightly higher among the former. The evaluators see potential in the awareness of the CTI: 55 percent of industrial companies with more than 20 employees are not aware of the CTI.

One third more employees and exports
The surveys of the business partners provide evidence of the strengthening of competitiveness through CTI-funded projects. The companies state that the CTI projects support them above all in accelerating market introduction and generating a higher market share. SMEs involved in CTI projects also make significantly more R&D expenditures and higher investments than comparable companies that did not receive funding. According to their own statements, companies supported by the CTI improve their sales in the area of the supported projects by around 50 percent and have around a third more employees and exports there.

From the perspective of the research partners, the main benefits are networking with business partners and strengthening research activities. CTI funding also strengthens the next generation of scientists through new hires.

80 percent of startups with label are still on the market
The implementation of coaching for start-ups is also judged to be transparent and goal-oriented. 80 percent of the start-ups rate the coaching as useful. The target group of science-based start-ups is reached: more than half are spin-offs from universities. However, according to the survey, awareness of the coaching could still be increased: a quarter of the start-ups surveyed in a control group were not aware of the CTI offer. In terms of the effects of coaching, positive effects are evident: Among the start-ups awarded the CTI label between 2005 and 2009, the survival rate is 80 percent. The 300 start-ups that received coaching in the same period created around 1350 full-time positions by 2016. Around 15 percent of the CTI start-ups are fast-growing start-ups.

Three external evaluations in three areas
The CTI has the legal mandate to account for its funding activities and to provide information on the economic effects. For this reason, in October 2015 it commissioned three external evaluations and impact analyses in the areas of R&D project funding, coaching of start-up funding and promotion of entrepreneurship. The contracts were awarded to three consortia. The first two reports with recommendations to the CTI are now available, and the report on the promotion of entrepreneurship will be published in summer 2017. In 2018, follow-up reports with updated results over a longer period of time will be published.

For its part, the Swiss Federal Audit Office SFAO conducts selected qualitative case studies on CTI R&D project funding in parallel with the impact analyses.

The CTI has issued statements on the two final reports and the recommendations contained therein, in which it shows how the findings are to be classified and which measures - also for Innosuisse, which will become operational as of 1.1.2018 - are now derived from them. The final reports and statements are available for download here: www.kti.admin.ch/wirkungsanalyse.

Text: CTI

NeWI stands for the recently founded network of women water engineers. NeWI wants to make women engineers in the field of water (drinking water, wastewater, water bodies, flood protection, hydraulic engineering, hydrology and others) visible to each other as well as to the public. NeWI offers a platform for personal and professional exchange of experiences and brings together women with different career paths and in different positions. Furthermore, NeWI wants to promote young talent and provide role models for young female engineers and career aspirants and show possible career paths.

The founders and board members are Angela Birrer, an engineer in the field of urban drainage; Alexandra Fumasoli, a process engineer in the field of wastewater treatment plants; Angelika Hess, a research assistant in urban water management at ETH; and Lea Mutzner, who is currently working on her dissertation on micropollutants at Eawag.

Events and workshops

The network was launched in January 2017 with a successful first event. More than 50 female participants took part in an exciting guided tour of NEST - the modular research and innovation building of EMPA and EAWAG. Now, further events will follow in 2017, such as the career event for female students, a workshop on the topic of part-time work and careers (where men are also welcome) and the annually planned NeWI summer barbecue.

Membership is currently free and registration can be done at any time via the homepage. The network is looking forward to more members to lead NeWI together into a successful future. More details about the events and membership can be found on the homepage www.wasseringenieurinnen.ch to find.

More and more foreign materials are entering the PET collection. PET Recycling Switzerland warns that contamination by foreign substances endangers the highly ecological bottle cycle and makes PET recycling more expensive. Technology alone cannot fix this, it is up to the Swiss. A new campaign aims to use humor to encourage the population to dispose of plastic and PET bottles correctly.

PET beverage bottles are food packaging and must therefore meet the highest requirements for cleanliness and purity. The degree of purity of the recyclate must be 99.96 percent at the end of the recycling process. This value is only possible with separate collection. The Federal Office for Food Safety (FSVO) even requires that only PET beverage bottles collected by type may be used for recycling in the bottle cycle. This regulation serves to protect consumers.

Sorting plants do not solve the problem

If foreign substances get into the PET collection, the PET beverage bottles become contaminated with residual liquids (e.g. shampoo, cleaning agents, etc.). Even the two new sorting plants in Frauenfeld and Grandson, which are among the most modern in the world, cannot subsequently change this situation. The higher the foreign matter load, the more complex it is to achieve the required degree of purity. In extreme cases, the speed of the sorting plants has to be reduced by up to 25 percent and manual sorting intensified. The foreign materials that are sorted out also have to be disposed of at high cost - a burdening development for the entire recycling system.

Only one measure helps: separate properly

The separate collection is the basis for the further recycling process. It is essential to note that only PET beverage bottles belong in the blue-yellow collection containers. If in doubt, these three questions will help: Is it PET? Was there a beverage in it? Is it a bottle? Only if all three questions can be answered with "yes" does the bottle belong in the PET collection.

All other plastic bottles can be recycled in a separate recycling process from PET thanks to the separate plastic bottle collection by Migros and Coop. The rest belongs in the trash and under no circumstances in the separate collections.

Plastic bottle collection by wholesalers makes it easier for consumers to separate their PET and plastic bottles at the beginning of the recycling process. Proper separation at the source strengthens PET recycling.

Text: kw/PET Recycling Switzerland

Organic is still booming: In 2016, Bio Suisse was once again able to achieve significant growth. This is shown in the latest annual report of the umbrella organization of the Swiss organic sector.

As of January 1, 2017, 6144 farms in Switzerland and Liechtenstein have been awarded the Organic Bud label, 386 more than in the previous year. This is the highest number since the 1990s. In total, the farms cultivate around 140,000 hectares of land, which corresponds to a share of 13.4 percent of the total agricultural area. Vineyards are experiencing a real boom: 26 winegrowers are now using the Bud label and increasing their vineyard area by a third in one fell swoop. Most organic farms are located in the cantons of Grisons (1302) and Bern (1162).

Market growth accelerates

The organic market also recorded an increase: sales of organic food reached a new high of over 2.5 billion Swiss francs. The market share has also grown, reaching a new value of 8.4 percent. And the growth has even accelerated: While in 2015 the market grew by 5.2%, in 2016 a growth of 7.8% was achieved.

In western Switzerland, sales and market share have grown at an above-average rate. Half of consumers buy organic products daily or several times a week. This amounted to CHF 299 per capita (2015: CHF 280). This makes Switzerland the world champion in organic consumption.

Coop and Migros are benefiting the most from the organic boom: together they generate three quarters of sales, while organic specialist retailers have to settle for third place.

The most popular products are egg, vegetables and bread

All product groups grew and gained market share. As in previous years, fresh products are the most important segment, with sales of 1.25 billion Swiss francs and a two-thirds share of the total organic product basket. Convenience products continue to gain in importance and are again growing at an above-average rate. The importance of fresh products is also reflected in the bestseller list for individual products: vegetables are now in second place, ahead of fresh bread. Eggs remain the most popular organic product. The market share for all three products is over 20 percent. The biggest sales drivers are dairy products: Including cheese, they account for sales of CHF 314.4 million.

Go to complete annual report from Bio Suisse

45,000 kilometers, three quarters of the Swiss water network, are considered small streams and brooks. So far, however, there are no measuring stations that monitor water quality there over longer periods of time. The informative value of random samples is limited. On behalf of the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), Eawag and the Ecotox Centre Eawag-EPFL, together with five cantons (TG, BL, BE, VS, TI) and the Swiss Water Pollution Control Association (VSA), have therefore taken a closer look at five watercourses. Their catchment areas are typical of heavy agricultural use. Between March and August 2015, around 1800 water samples were collected. Today, the participants have now published the evaluations in two technical articles in the journal Aqua&Gas. (Here and here)

A smorgasbord of active ingredients and high concentrations

The suspicion that the small water bodies are heavily polluted with plant protection products (PPPs) has been substantiated. The number of substances is very high: 128 different active substances from arable, vegetable, fruit and vine cultivation were detected by the researchers in the samples, 61 herbicides, 45 fungicides and 22 insecticides. In 80% of the samples, the requirement of the Water Protection Ordinance (≤0.1 µg/L) was not met by at least one substance - in all five streams studied for more than 60 days, in the Weierbach (BL) and in the Eschelisbach (TG) practically during the entire six-month study period. Concentrations of up to 40 µg/L were detected for individual substances. Short-term peaks are likely to be even higher, because all samples were averaged over at least half a day.

Chronic and acute toxic mixtures

Because the maximum value of 0.1 µg/L per individual substance in the Water Protection Ordinance says too little about the true risk to organisms, the researchers also compared the analytical data with ecotoxicological quality criteria. In addition, bioassays were conducted with algae and stream fleas, and the diversity of invertebrates was examined. On average, not one, but 20 to 40 substances were found in each sample. The results leave little room for interpretation: in all water bodies, quality criteria for chronic ecotoxicity were exceeded, in some cases many times over, for a minimum of two weeks (TI) and a maximum of up to five and a half months (BL, TG). In four water bodies, even concentrations above which the pesticide mix is an acute toxic risk to sensitive organisms were exceeded, for a maximum of two months (VS). Stream fleas exposed in one of the streams showed increased mortality rates and lethargic behavior, concomitant with high pesticide concentrations. Scores at all sites were unsatisfactory and poor. The lowest load was found at the Ticino monitoring site, as the catchment area in question has a comparatively lower intensity of agricultural use. Marion Junghans of the Ecotox Center summarizes: "The constantly changing mix of many substances in problematic concentrations and the long-lasting high risks leave organisms no recovery time in many cases."

Action plan for risk reduction of plant protection products under development

For Stephan Müller, head of the FOEN's Water Division, the results confirm that PPPs from agriculture - along with micropollutants that enter waterbodies via wastewater treatment plants - are currently the most significant material pollutants in Swiss surface waters. This is especially true in small streams; they are of special interest because they are refuges and "nurseries" for aquatic life, especially for fish.

The technical measures recently adopted by Parliament will halve the amount of micropollutants produced by wastewater treatment plants. Now, according to Müller, the contamination with PPPs must also be significantly reduced. An important step in this direction is the PPP action plan, which is being developed under the leadership of the Federal Office for Agriculture and in which water protection is a priority topic. Furthermore, users are required to handle these environmental toxins carefully and to use them as little as possible.

Text: FOEN

On average, a Swiss garbage bag contains around 30 percent organic waste. But this green waste can be put to better energetic use than in a waste incineration plant. It can be used to generate electricity, heat, fuel and additionally compost. Renens recognized this potential early on and is doing a lot to get the biomass resource on the right track.

Renens sensitizes excellent

Good education and broad information are the be-all and end-all of Renens' award-winning green waste management. Humorously illustrated flyers, multilingual waste calendars and easy-to-find leaflets on the Internet provide comprehensive information about the separate collection of green waste. In addition, unemployed people and volunteers act as ambassadors for this cause. Both of these factors generate a high level of motivation among the population.

Uncomplicated collection system

Renens supports the population's desire to collect waste with its uncomplicated waste system. Once or twice a week, it empties the brown containers, which can be obtained directly from the municipality. Virtually all biogenic waste is accepted - including cooked food waste and woody garden waste. The disposal of green waste is financed by a flat fee. In this way, Renens creates an additional financial incentive. Residual waste is financed by a bag fee.

The Green Award honors Biomass Suisse Swiss municipalities or special-purpose associations that stand out for their exemplary green waste management. The assessment criteria cover all areas from raising awareness and informing the population to collection services and green waste recycling. The prize is worth a total of 6,000 Swiss francs and will be awarded to the three first-place winners. Further information at: www.greenaward.ch

Winner of the Green Award 2017:

1st place Renens VD

2nd place Sauge BE

3rd place Plan-les-Ouates GE

Text: Biomasse Suisse