Waste

The city is a common good that belongs to everyone. Every daily gesture, even a small one, is important and reflects care for our city and the environment in which we live.

Lugano works to encourage waste reduction and increase environmental awareness. In integrated management and separate waste collection, aimed at reducing the environmental impact of waste, many employees of the Lugano Administration, including street cleaners, work to ensure the city's cleanliness.

The help of volunteers, the so-called ecological wardens, is also valuable, as they assist in managing the ecocentri (eco-centers) and provide useful information, anticipating citizens' needs with their attentive observation of the area.

On 1 January 2020, the pay-per-bag tax came into effect in Lugano, along with a base fee. The pay-per-bag tax is established in the Federal Environmental Protection Act. Citizens must therefore use the official bags, intended to collect only household waste (MSW), or non-recyclable items. For other waste types, the city provides 48 ecopunti (eco-points), 6 ecocentri (eco-centers), and many individual containers in various neighborhoods.

To maintain cleanliness and promote respect for the environment and public spaces, since 2014, Lugano has also promoted various initiatives and campaigns against littering—the abandonment of small amounts of urban waste (cigarette butts, tissues, cans, bottles, etc.) in squares, paths, lake shores, and public transport that should otherwise be disposed of in appropriate containers. The 2019 campaign also addressed aspects related to courtesy; respect for common spaces includes behavior of cyclists, dog owners, and quiet residential areas.

Courtesy gestures and consideration for others reflect that the management of public space concerns all of us.