Prevent, Collect, Recycle: Who Finances the Solution?

When waste management costs are not taken into account during production and consumption, they fall on local authorities and communities, often those least equipped to handle them.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) mechanisms seek to make producers responsible, either financially or organizationally, for their products at the end of their life cycle.

These mechanisms exist in very different forms depending on the country and the product. They can help finance collection and recycling, but their effectiveness depends on their design, oversight, territorial coverage, and the reality of recycled material markets.

They are not a substitute for prevention or sound public waste management.

A concrete example: PET in Switzerland

In Switzerland, PET beverage bottles clearly illustrate this principle: those who put them on the market finance their collection and recycling through an industry organisation.

Together with our local partners, we sort collected waste, document quantities, and seek recovery outlets. In Kota Kinabalu, the plastic recycled each quarter increased from 37 kg in spring 2025 to over 300 kg in early 2026, and non-recyclable plastics are turned into ecobricks with the residents of Gaya Island.

These findings demonstrate both the potential and the economic limits of a local industry. Our data can inform discussions with companies and local authorities on the conditions for a sustainable model.