My question doesn't seem to fit anywhere else, so I post it here.
I have a huge collection of beer cans, and I was wondering if there is any system in Switzerland (and Zurich, to be more specific) handling returning bottles/cans, similar to Pfand in Germany.
Unless it is a specifc deposit bottle, the system is called "recycling". Glass/PET bottles and metal cans/tins should not be put in the rubbish but recycled separately (in Basel, anyway).
Wow TiMow, where can one do this? We have to bring it all the to recycling tip. So get your 2012 list of where and when from the Gemeinde and get down there. Oh, and when getting rid of paper, be sure not to sneak any tiny bits of cardboard into the pile. The man with the pitch fork will see, even if the piece is microscopic, I promise. They have "the eye" i've tried, many times.
Fortunately, since moving, my new cerycling depot is overseen by student type guys, and is a lot more mellow than the last one, where I always had a run in with an old git "jobsworth" earning his wirtschaftgeld, who found fault with everyone who hadn't lived there all their lives (especially those he couldn't understand).
Although, one of the young guys where I am now, did tell me I shouldn't throw paper carrier bags of papers into the paper bin. I should tip the bag out, then put it into the cardboard container.
Bring back binning everything and fly-tipping - there's always someone who will find worth in stuff lying around in bin bags.