Swiss Tourism at its Best

In Switzerland, everything has its place. Tourists. Trash. And apparently, the combination of the two.

So while the tourist may not have to take their glass to the bins by the river or take their plastic to the grocery store or tie their paper with string every six weeks and leave it outside their door, if they are visiting Einsiedeln, they still have a specific place they must put their trash:

Put your trash in its place, tourists!

10 ways to get the Swiss talking

Things like trying to meet people or talking to people you barely know are naturally awkward, but trust The Frau. You’ve never experienced a truly awkward gathering unless you've lived in Switzerland and been brave enough to work at a company that isn't multinational.

As most people know, the Swiss pretty much keep to themselves. As in they only talk to their family and their friends—specifically the friends they made in first grade. And this works for them. But it might not work especially well for you when you, the outsider, find yourself at a company happy hour feeling anything but happy.

The Frau has worked at several Swiss ad agencies over the last seven years. And if social events are bad at a Swiss ad agency, The Frau shudders to think of what they would be like at a Swiss bank. So what’s an expat to do? Below are ten strategies to get the Swiss talking to you, both in general life or at that dreaded “social” mixer. Note: Use at your own risk. You may just make a friend for life (or in some cases...an enemy).

One

The Swiss will talk to you. Just know the right topics.

Mention how many foreigners there are in Switzerland (specifically the number of Germans, when possible).

Two

Discuss things that seem non-existent or insignificant (such as crime or trash).

Three

Ask about that construction project the next street over (there is always a construction project the next street over and there is always someone who has memorized the construction schedule).

Four

Ask about vacation plans. The Swiss always have vacation plans. It’s easy for them to know where they are going next since it's most likely the exact same place they just went. 

Five

Put out your trash incorrectly (especially good if you want the whole community to talk. But not so good if you don’t want them to talk about you).

Six

Recycle during the lunch hour. Guaranteed lecture. Have fun.

Seven

Sit back, relax, and eat something while several “En Guetes” come your way.

Eight

Walk a dog.

Nine

Carry an alphorn. Better yet, play one.

Ten

Push a stroller.

Anyone else have tips for trying to speak with people from a culture who rarely even speak amongst themselves?

Dear Frau: Swiss Recycling is Confusing!

Welcome to the latest Dear Frau column. It's kind of like Dear Abby, except with an international twist. Don't forget, if you have a question, be sure to contact The Frau. And maybe your little Frage will be in the next Dear Frau.

Dear Frau,

I just stumbled across your blog today. I'm new to Switzerland and I need Dear Frau's help. Can you please explain the recycling situation to me? After some trial and error I have finally figured out my regular rubbish, but recycling remains a mystery. Please help!

Thanks

New and Confused

Dear New and Confused

Welcome to the club. The Frau also spent many months being perplexed by the Swiss recycling system. After confusion, comes clarity: in order to recycle properly in Switzerland, you must become a Bag Lady.

The Frau is also known as The Bag Lady of Baden, as on any weekday (not before 8am, between 12-2pm, or after 8pm) you can find her dragging everything from empty glass bottles to aluminum cans to PET plastic around town in her little orange IKEA cart.

Instead of feeling like a Save-The-Planet Winner, The Frau often feels like a Homeless Loser.

But she digresses.

Here’s why Swiss recycling is confusing: every little thing has its own place and none of them are in the same place. The glass goes to the glass bin nearest to you, the paper gets tied with string and put on your front-step every six weeks, and the apple core goes in the green bio bucket that you must purchase a sticker for at the local grocery store. It’s enough to confuse anyone.

That’s why last year, The Frau wrote, “Tips from a Bag Lady,” for Swiss News. You can read the article here. Be enlightened, dear friends. And hopefully be entertained as the article also includes a sidebar of trash horror stories from expats like you (police going through their trash, people yelling at them for recycling glass during the lunch hour, etc).

The recycling stuff is so confusing that it's too much to handle for little little post. So The Frau is going to list the best resources where you can find help:

Tips from a Bag Lady (by The Frau for Swiss News.)

Living in Zurich (by The American Women’s Club) (This sells for the very Swiss price of CHF 65(!) but might be worth it for all the recycling info--they include a nice chart of every recyclable thing you can imagine and describe where to dispose of it).

Swiss Favorite Pastime: Recycling (by Jessica at Swisstory Blog) (This post even includes a recycling map on Google maps! It’s one of the best blog posts The Frau has seen on Swiss recycling. So she’s not going to compete, just share the wealth and lament the fact that Jessica is now blogging about Australia instead of Switzerland).

Ok, readers, The Frau's collection of PET bottles is about to suffocate her and she really must get to the store to put them in their rightful place. Do you have any trash tips or resources for New and Confused? Or would you like to share any interesting run-ins with Swiss trash/recycling police?