Because of the new climate fee Garbage bags could cost 5 francs in future
CO₂ capture in Swiss waste incineration plants is making progress - and could soon have noticeable consequences for households. A national climate levy is to finance the climate measures costing billions.
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- The waste industry is calling for a national climate fee to finance CO₂ capture in waste incineration plants.
- In the long term, up to CHF 2 could be charged for a 35-liter bag.
- While centrist and Green politicians support the approach, the SVP and FDP criticize the rising costs for households.
The operators of Swiss waste incineration plants are faced with a task that is technically feasible but financially enormous: the federal government is demanding that waste disposal becomes climate-neutral by 2050. As there is no emission-free alternative to incineration, the industry is relying on CO₂ capture and storage, known as CCS. This involves filtering CO₂ from exhaust gases, liquefying it and storing it under the seabed - a process that is already being used in Norway.
The first Swiss pilot plant is to be built in Niederurnen. Around 100,000 tons of CO₂ could be captured there every year from 2030. However, the costs are enormous: around CHF 400 per tonne, a total of around CHF 40 million per year for the plant in Glarnerland alone. The municipalities in the catchment area cannot bear this burden, warns the industry association.
The waste management industry is therefore calling for a national climate fee, which would initially amount to CHF 10 per tonne of waste, as theNZZwrites on Monday. For households, this would initially correspond to around 5 centimes per 35-liter bag.
Mixed signals from politicians
In the long term, however, the industry is expecting significantly higher surcharges: If all Swiss waste incineration plants are equipped with CCS by 2050, the price per bag could rise by up to two francs. In Zurich, a 35-liter bag could then cost 3.60 francs, in Basel even 4.70 francs.
How high the amount will actually be in the end also depends on the infrastructure. As long as CO₂ has to be transported to Northern Europe by rail, the costs will remain high, the newspaper continues. Once pipelines are in place, the costs per tonne could fall to around 180 francs, according to the Swiss government.
Politically, the debate has already been launched. Speaking to the NZZ, centrist National Councillor Stefan Müller-Altermatt calls for a legal basis for the new fee - and considers national funding to be justified: The whole of Switzerland would benefit if the first plants like the one in Niederurnen were to do pioneering work. Support also comes from the Greens: anyone who takes net zero seriously must allow such technologies, according to the party.
The SVP and FDP are much more critical. SVP National Councillor Mike Egger warns of new financial burdens for the population and speaks of "hidden follow-up costs" of previous climate decisions. FDP politician Christian Wasserfallen, on the other hand, doubts whether it makes sense to transport CO₂ over long distances in order to inject it into the North Sea. He calls for more funds to be invested in protective measures within Switzerland instead.
