Dirty business: More and more Swiss construction waste is exported to other countries near the border

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Something coincided: the amount of exported waste increased from 254,000 tons ten years ago to more than 827,000 tons of waste in 2022. Of this, 394,000 tons were exported to Germany alone. The export consists mainly of mineral construction waste, as the Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU) told the “SonntagsZeitung”.

Only: according to the Environmental Protection Act, the construction rubble should remain in Germany. Export is only permitted in exceptional cases. Export practices have increased dramatically, as the figures show, even though theoretically almost 100 percent of construction waste is recyclable.

Cheaper disposal abroad

However, exporting abroad is cheaper. A spokesperson for the Swiss Building Materials Recycling Association explains that the main reason for exporting is cost savings. He warned about the damage to the environment. According to the newspaper, there is little control over what happens to waste abroad.

The few controls and exceptions in the Environmental Protection Act made this export practice possible, writes the “SonntagsZeitung”. Although exporters must submit a permit for environmentally friendly disposal, the reality shows that hardly any checks take place after crossing the border. The industry takes advantage of these gaps and construction waste often ends up unnoticed in landfills abroad.

Experts are calling for more controls

The impact of this company on the environment is significant, according to the newspaper’s research. And yet it goes largely unnoticed. For example, a representative of the construction sector from Baden-Württemberg expresses his surprise in the article at the scale of the transports and his surprise at the landfill situation in the region.

Experts are therefore calling for more controls and more responsibility at all levels. However, there is currently a lack of enforcement and supervision, whether it concerns investigating disposal concepts or checking construction sites. Moreover, increasing exports not only endanger the environment, but also undermine the concept of sustainable disposal domestically. (oco)

Source:Blick