Trash Hero Switzerland | Trash Hero World

Beyond cleanups: Trash Hero in the community

by Lydia on 04/10/2024 No comments

Regular cleanups build trust and engagement within communities. Once trust has been established, volunteers can take our mission one step further through our Trash Hero Communities programme.

Trash Hero Communities aims to create consensus for zero waste systems and lifestyles that can address the plastics crisis. Events range from educational presentations to implementing reuse systems at events.

Below we showcase a few examples from our chapters around the world.

Trash Hero Tuaran, Malaysia

Trash Hero Tuaran has been actively involved in local schools for several years, giving presentations and helping them reduce plastic waste. Their efforts have led to a strong relationship with the school community, resulting in an invitation to participate in a two-day exhibition on the 11 and 12 September. Other attendees included the Department of Health and the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park.

During the exhibition, the chapter leader Wallcon, promoted the Trash Hero mission, encouraged people to join cleanups and used our series of “Educate Yourself Zero Waste” posters to start important discussions with kids and teachers. Over 350 students attended and we hope to see them at future cleanups or joining our Trash Hero Kids programme.

Trash Hero Pattani, Thailand

Trash Hero Pattani has hosted a variety of community events, including a “Repair Cafe” held on 31 August. Expert volunteers offered their skills to repair items free of charge, all attendees had to pay for was the cost of any new parts needed. At the inaugural session, six people volunteered their fixing skills, giving new life to bikes, electronics and clothing. These events, which now have a regular spot on the calendar, help to reduce waste and encourage people to think differently about consumption.

Trash Hero Indonesia

The Climate Policy Unit of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) invited Trash Hero Indonesia to a focus group discussion on public awareness and understanding of climate change. The discussions were held in several major cities across Indonesia, as the organisation strived to understand the best action to take to mitigate climate change. Trash Hero attended the discussion in Sanur in August, alongside lecturers, other NGOs and students.

The opening question, “Do people understand climate change?” sparked a lively discussion among the 17 attendees. Trash Hero representatives challenged the view that everyone understands the causes of climate change. They highlighted the fact that the entire lifecycle of plastic contributes to climate change and this is not something that is widely recognised. This prompted discussion on the need to reduce plastic production by investing in reuse and refill initiatives.

Trash Hero Luzern, Switzerland

Festivals are filled with single-use plastic, especially cups. The fields are left covered with trash that takes hours or even days to clean up. In 2017, Trash Hero Luzern helped the Sunset Beatz festival, held in Baldeggersee Lake, realise things had to change! Together, they developed a deposit return system for drinks. Festival-goers deposit $2 for a reusable cup, which they get back when the cup is returned. The new system has been used every year since, preventing the use of over 100,000 single-use plastic cups, and saving the organisers and volunteers hours of cleanup time!

Trash Hero Nagekeo – Indonesia

Volunteers from Trash Hero Nagekeo collaborated with Soverdia Nagekeo to reduce single-use plastic at a conference in June: “Laudato si’ wajah bumi yang terluka”. Usually, such events rely heavily on single-use plastics, with water provided in single-use bottles or cups, lunch served in plastic boxes and many food items wrapped in plastic.

To reduce plastic usage, volunteers approached local businesses, requesting reusable cups, glasses, plates and cutlery for the 400 attendees over 3 days. Some businesses donated items, while others agreed to loan them. The plates and glasses may all be different colours and sizes, but it’s a beautiful representation of how, with the help of passionate and dedicated volunteers, a community can come together to reduce plastic.

These examples demonstrate the diverse ways in which Trash Hero Communities can start long-term change. By going beyond cleanups and fostering sustainable practices, we can create a cleaner and healthier future for everyone.

To learn more about our Trash Hero communities programmes click here. To find your nearest chapter and see if they can help your event go zero waste, click here.

Family meetings to support and celebrate our amazing volunteers

by Lydia on 15/01/2024 1 comment

Trash Hero Kota Kinabalu leader, Zurainee, was excited to meet her volunteers in a different setting: “it felt good spending time with heroes in a different and ‘cleaner’ platform”.

It’s true that when they usually meet – before, during and after cleanups – Trash Hero volunteers are engrossed in the task at hand. Most of their training is done on the job.

Our Family Meetings, which were most recently held during the last quarter of 2023, give them a chance to spend time together in a different way. They allow for more in-depth discussions, planning and knowledge-building, as well as providing an opportunity to develop stronger friendships and support systems.

During November 24 – 26, Trash Hero Indonesia hosted its second Family Meeting of the year in Bali, for all active chapters within the country. Seventy participants joined the three-day event from 33 different locations.

Seventy participants from 33 locations joined the 3-day event in Indonesia

The country team delivered a packed agenda focused on the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of our activities. The volunteers learned the basic principles of zero waste communities and about the impacts of plastic pollution on climate, human health and biodiversity through interactive games and mini-workshops. They also honed their skills in effective communication, community engagement and strategic planning.

Rima Agustina, Trash Hero World’s Programme Coordinator, who led the event, said: “It was probably our most successful family meeting to date in terms of engagement. I am so inspired by our volunteers’ energy and willingness to learn these challenging topics.”

Feedback from the volunteers confirmed this impression. Clara Keban, a participant from Trash Hero Belu, said that she “learned many things from great friends and mentors […] Other than that, the most important thing that I got from this activity is kinship, cohesiveness and togetherness”.

Trash Hero World covers all the costs for the national Family Meetings, including the participants’ travel, accommodation and food, as well as the planning and logistics.

In other parts of the world, chapter leaders hosted local Chapter Family Meetings. These were first introduced in 2022 when COVID-19 restrictions eased, but travel restrictions meant we couldn’t host national Family Meetings. The feedback we received from volunteers was fantastic, so we have made them a regular event. The budget is again provided by Trash Hero World and, in some cases, local sponsors.

Participants working together, Trash Hero Langsuan

Chapters can make their own agenda for the meetings: some focused on team building with active volunteers, while others extended invitations to the public, community leaders and local government representatives, to broaden and strengthen their support base.

For example, Trash Hero Mersing in Malaysia organised a zero waste picnic at their local beach. They invited kids who had previously joined their cleanups – and their friends. The picnic, with fun games and prizes, was a great example of how to host events without creating waste, as well as a nice way to thank the children for their participation and engage more kids in their activities. Other Malaysian chapters, Trash Hero Cherating and Trash Hero Tuaran, also organised zero waste picnics for their teams.

Trash Hero Langsuan in Thailand held a full day of activities for their volunteers and involved representatives from the local government, temple and even the district hospital who gave a presentation on the health dangers of trash.

Trash Hero Tha Sala, Thailand, Trash Hero Bern, Switzerland and Trash Hero Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, used the Chapter Family Meeting to reflect on what they achieved in 2023 and what they hope to accomplish in 2024.

Chapter Family Meeting numbers so far:

Thailand: 28 adults, 21 kids, 4 locations

Malaysia: 31 adults, 32 kids, 4 locations

Switzerland: 8 adults, 1 location

Chapter Family Meetings continue to take place in early 2024.

Thank you to everyone who participated in, organised and supported these events. Now we are fully charged and ready for another year of action!

Volunteer training 2023 kicks off with over 100 participants

by Lydia on 13/06/2023 No comments

The incredible impact that Trash Hero has had is due to the dedication and commitment of our volunteers. They are the movement’s driving force, and their positive attitude and hard work is inspiring

To keep this spirit alight, Trash Hero World holds regular on-site “Family Meetings”, which allow active volunteers inside our major countries of operation to meet and share new knowledge and experiences. In April and May this year, we hosted a one-day event in Switzerland and 3 x three-day residential events in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

“It was great to see the Swiss Trash Hero Family again, share different experiences, learn from each other and spend a great time together.” Fabio, Trash Hero Bern, Switzerland

In Southeast Asia, volunteers got to know each other through small group work and games, mixing serious learning with plenty of fun. The first day was spent introducing the principles of zero waste systems, including the importance of waste separation, debunking false solutions such as incineration and mapping the problem of waste management in a small island community. Of particular interest was the composting workshop: many participants were keen to try this out on their return home.

The focus of the second day was improving community engagement – exploring how the Trash Hero values and consistent approach establishes trust. This can then be built on to create long term change, for example with the kids’ book programme or the water bottle refill network. The workshops covered social media skills to help increase participation in activities and how to provide meaningful education through cleanups.

“Professional speakers and very good material for us to make improvements in our respective chapters”. Jack, Trash Hero Biak, Indonesia

On day three, volunteers were asked to reflect on the new knowledge and skills they had learned and prepare a strategic action plan to take back to their chapters. Together with support from our mentor teams, this will help to guide their activities over the next six months.

With new friendships formed and new energy found, we see the network stronger than ever moving forward. We are thankful to everyone involved in organising the transport, accommodation and food, creating, facilitating and presenting the sessions, and of course to all those who took time off work to join us.

“This Family Meeting is very extraordinary for each of us chapters to motivate each other more” Trash Hero Volunteer, Indonesia

In total 108 participants joined the Family Meetings from 54 chapters

Trash Hero Switzerland Family Meeting

Date: 23 April 2023

Location: Luzern, Switzerland

Participants: 15

Chapters: 6

Trash Hero Indonesia Family Meeting

Date: 5-7 May 2023

Location: Bali, Indonesia

Participants: 67

Chapters: 33

Trash Hero Malaysia Family Meeting

Date: 12-14 May 2023

Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Participants: 9

Chapters: 4

Trash Hero Thailand Family Meeting

Date: 19-21 May 2023

Location: Pattani, Thailand

Participants: 24

Chapters: 11

Thank you to CFLI for supporting the event in Thailand

Group of volunteers smiling at the camera. ll are wearing Trash Hero -shirts

Our Impact up to 31st December 2022

by Lydia on 15/02/2023 2 comments

Every week volunteers around the world put on their yellow t-shirts and commit to working towards a world free from plastic pollution – but what does it really mean to be a Trash Hero?

It means that we are a global movement. Trash Hero is currently active in 139 locations in 17 countries. To date, our movement has mobilised 466,578 volunteers, 120,673 of whom were under 16! We are passionate about including a wide range of people in our activities, and we celebrate this diversity as much as possible.

Being a Trash Hero also means taking regular action against plastic pollution. In 2022 alone, Trash Hero volunteers organised 3,296 cleanups – an average of 9 cleanups a day and 45 kgs per event! This brings our total number of cleanups since 2013 to an incredible 18,206, removing a total of 2,302,862 kgs of trash

We help people reduce single-use plastic through our refill and reuse programmes. To date, we have distributed 106,188 reusable water bottles through our partner network, which includes 673 points where people can refill their bottle for free. This has prevented an incredible 38,8 million single-use plastic bottles from being used and has reduced 2017.572 tonnes of CO2 emissions. We have also distributed 29,520 reusable Trash Hero bags, preventing the use of 10.8 million single-use plastic bags

Trash Hero is also committed to inspiring a new generation of activists! Our dedicated kids programme, which began in 2018, has helped 23,330 kids build sustainable habits. This is done through our story and activities book

As well as hands-on action within communities, Trash Hero is committed to collecting data that can be used to influence policy change on plastic. Trash Heroes have conducted 402 brand audits that have been included in reports holding corporate polluters responsible. These reports have been submitted to the UN negotiations for a Global Plastics Treaty.

But it’s not just about the numbers. Being a Trash Hero means that we feel connected with your fellow volunteers, we are motivated to create change and we are thankful to everyone who supports and contributes to our movement.

And most of all, it means that we are family!

Thank you to all of our volunteers who have been part of the incredible impact that we have had. We can’t wait to see what 2023 brings!

We have been collecting data since December 2013; as of 31st December 2022 these are our numbers!

18,206 cleanups
139 active chapters in 17 countries
466,578 volunteers, including 120,673 under 16s
Responsibly collected and disposed of 2,302,862 kg of trash
As part of the Trash Hero Bottle program, 106,188 reusable bottles have been distributed, avoiding 38.8 million single-use plastic bottles and reducing 2,107 tonnes of CO2 emissions
As part of the Trash Hero Bag program, 29,520 reusable Trash Hero bags have been distributed, saving 10.8 million single-use plastic bags

Do you want to be part of a movement that is dedicated to creating change? Trash Hero cleanups are open for everyone to join – no cost, no sign-up, just show up! Find your nearest chapter here.

Making refill a reality

by Lydia on 13/12/2022 No comments

Sandro Schnarwiler, the managing director of Schnarwiler cosmetics, has been passionate about the problem of plastic pollution for a long time. After watching a television documentary that featured Trash Hero in 2018, he decided he wanted to help. He approached the team with the idea of developing a refill and reuse system for his cosmetic products.

We began discussions with Schnarwiler about developing a range of completely refillable products. By creating such a system, the company could drastically reduce its plastic use and support customers to transition to more sustainable ways of shopping.

‘Sandro Schnarwiler was eager to partner with Trash Hero to make meaningful impact with his business’

A partnership began, resulting in the ‘Love Refill’ product line. It launched with four products (shampoo, conditioner, soap and body lotion) – all-natural, locally made, and cruelty-free in reusable glass packaging. Once the bottle or jar is empty, customers can wash out the bottle and refill at a lower price than their original purchase.

To ensure the system was zero waste from start to finish, the Trash Hero team suggested that even the bulk containers used for refilling individual bottles were washed and reused at the factory, rather than being discarded. This idea was meant with a positive response and Schnawiler showed dedication to wanting to reduce plastic at every opportunity.

Now, the refill network has grown to more than 150 stores all over Switzerland, including the national chain Reformhaus, making refilling easier than ever. As for Schnarwiler, they have found the refillable range to be so popular that it has almost completely replaced single-use products as their core business.

Hotels are now also requesting the products to replace their in-room toiletries. Schnarwiler calculated that a hotel with 200 beds and 80% occupancy provides around 500 throwaway plastic containers per night. This results in more than 180,000 pieces per year or almost 4 tons of plastic waste from just one hotel!

Schnarwiler helps the hotels to fit reusable glass dispensers of products in the bathrooms. As they are refilled, they save both the plastic and the product itself from being wasted.

There are currently 24 hotels signed up to the project, with more in the pipeline!

In another boost for the initiative, Eliane, the winner of Best Female Solo Act at the 2018 Swissmusic Awards, became a brand ambassador for Schnarwiler’s refill lines which in 2022 now include both “Love Refill” and a new range, “Re-use-me.”

She promotes the products and concept of refill to her many fans and last year, together with Schnarwiler, organised a gala performance to raise funds for Trash Hero projects and our refill programmes in Asia. We are incredibly grateful for her support.

Sandro Schnarwiler and Trash Hero started a partnership that has proved refill is possible, practical and profitable in the real world. Since the project began in 2018, it has saved more than 79,000 plastic bottles from being used*!

Schnarwiler is leading by example in the beauty industry. In the long term, refill and reuse systems benefit both the business and the environment and help us work towards a plastic-free future.

Give the gift of a plastic-free 2023

If you want to try out the refills for yourself, or know someone who might like the concept, you can find the full product range and the refill locations online.Schnarwiler, in collaboration with Eliane, has released a fan package containing refillable and reusable products from the ‘Love refill’ range. They have also launched a brand new refillable and plastic-free deodorant and toothpaste in a tube – the first of its kind in Switzerland! In January 2023 they will be releasing a refillable suncream and lip balm!

All Schnarwiler’s products are made and sourced in Switzerland from 100% natural and cruelty-free ingredients. All products are vegan aside from the conditioner which contains a small amount of beeswax.

For each product or refill sold, Trash Hero receives a donation – the details of which can be found in our annual report.

If you’re not in Switzerland, consider a Trash Hero e-card or donation gift to help us continue our work for a cleaner world.

*as of December 2022.

Brand Audit Report 2022: the results are in!

by Lydia on 09/12/2022 No comments

In November, Break Free From Plastic released their 5th annual Brand Audit report. As well as documenting which companies are responsible for the majority of plastic counted this year, it analyses which corporations have been responsible for the majority of plastic pollution for five consecutive years.

The 2022 report consisted of 397 brand audits on six continents; 14,760 volunteers participated, counting and auditing 429,994 pieces of plastic from 4,645 parent companies.

The reports found that these companies were the top polluters for 2022!

The Coca-Cola Company
PepsiCo
Nestlé
Mondelēz International
Unilever
Procter & Gamble
Mars, Inc.
Philip Morris International
Danone
Colgate-Palmolive

Trash Hero contributed significantly to these findings. We submitted 30% (120) of the brand audits used in the report, 6.8% (29,504) of the plastics counted, and 18.2% (2,968) of volunteers that took part were Trash Heroes!

As this is the fifth annual brand audit report, Break Free From Plastic took the opportunity to analyse longitudinal data trends from the five years of data they have collected. They found that Coca-Cola, Nestle and Pepsico have consistently been the top single-use plastic polluters over that time.

Coca-cola has been the worst plastic polluter by a significant lead, with the amount of Coca-Cola branded plastic increasing each year! According to the report, they accounted for 31,000 pieces of plastic collected during the brand audits – representing a 61% increase since 2021! This is unsurprising as a recent report found that their plastic production has increased by nearly 10%!

Break Free From plastic members submitted data from this report at the first annual INC meeting – a meeting of UNEA member governments to discuss the global plastic treaty. This crucial meeting started the negotiation process for the treaty’s terms and included representatives from the plastics industry and civil society groups. The information from the report highlights the need for large corporations to take responsibility for their role in plastic pollution, and it shows that the only way to reduce plastic pollution is to reduce the production of plastic.

We are so proud to be part of such an important movement and play a role in influencing policies that will address the plastics crisis. We want to say a massive thank you to all of the Trash Hero volunteers who have contributed to this data over the years. We have been collecting data for this project since it began, and seeing it be part of such an important event makes the hard world worthwhile.

Thank you to Break Free From Plastic for analysing all the data and representing our views at the INC1 this week.

Trash Hero helps to find world’s top plastic polluters

by Lydia on 13/10/2022 No comments

At the end of September, we concluded our brand audit data collection for the year. This year we conducted 120 Brand Audits! These were completed by 57 chapters in 6 countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Switzerland, Poland and Georgia. There were 1,620 volunteers that took part and they recorded 29,504 pieces of plastic.

A brand audit categorises the plastic we collect at cleanups (food packaging, household products, personal care, smoking materials) and, most importantly, records the name of the parent company that manufactured it. We share this data with Break Free From Plastic, who use it as part of their annual Brand Audit Report.

Break Free From Plastic released its first annual Brand Audit Report in 2018 to identify and hold the top plastic polluters accountable. The globally collected data can be used as evidence to push large corporations to take responsibility for the waste that they create. It drives a movement towards systemic change and a zero waste economy and generates pressure to create real solutions to the plastics crisis.

The 2021 report named The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, Unilever, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, Mondelēz International, Philip Morris International, Danone, Mars, Inc., and Colgate-Palmolive as the top plastic polluting companies. Coca-cola, PepsiCo, Unilever and Nestle have been in the top five since the reports began.

We want to say a huge thank you to all the Trash Hero chapters and volunteers who took the time to conduct a brand audit. Trash Hero has been one of the top contributors to Brand Audit data collection for the last five years and we couldn’t do it without the incredible commitment of our Trash Hero volunteers.

The full report will be released later in the year. Who do you think will be named the top plastic polluters? Let us know in the comments!

Our first in-person training event in Europe

by Lydia on 28/09/2022 2 comments

In August, Trash Hero held its first ever Family Meeting in Europe, in Svaty Jan Pod Skalou – a beautiful little village just outside of Prague, Czech Republic. It was attended by 26 participants from 11 chapters in 5 different countries – Switzerland, Serbia, Kuwait, Czech Republic and Poland!

The weekend was kindly hosted by the Trash Hero Czech Republic team who did an amazing job of finding a unique location and organising activities that helped the participants bond whilst connecting with nature.

Family Meetings are volunteer training and team-building events that are held in our major countries of operation. At the meetings, we celebrate chapters’ achievements and share knowledge on a range of topics that benefit Trash Hero chapters and their wider communities. This includes zero waste training, brand audit training and much more.

We also had space for informal discussions and fun activities such as cooking together and volunteering at a local nature reserve. These resulted in some lively discussions, lots of laughter and some great memories being made.

Over the course of the three days in the Czech Republic, we had presentations and activities that centred on motivation, leadership skills, the big picture of waste and community outreach..

As the first event of its kind in Europe, for many of our volunteers, it was the first time meeting other Trash Heroes in person! This provided a fantastic opportunity for these Trash Hero volunteers to build friendships and support systems – something that is vital in the work that we do. It’s particularly important for those volunteers in countries with fewer Trash Hero chapters to remember they are not alone in what they do.

I personally found my motivation again after the Trash Hero family meeting and [am] looking forward to the next time. I was really demotivated and now, we start again with new power
Sibil, Trash Hero Winterthur

We continue to support all our Trash Hero chapter leaders with regular global calls and workshops – although nothing quite matches the energy of in-person meetings and we can’t wait for the next one next year!

7 July 2022: weekly news roundup

by Lydia on 07/07/2022 No comments

Our roundup of the week’s most important stories

Festivals in Netherlands to stop using single-use cups

After successful trials, reusable cups will soon be the new norm for Dutch festival-goers. Find out more about how this system will work and people’s reactions to it here

Trash Hero Luzern’s brand audit makes the news

Tele 1 reporters joined the volunteers at their 25th cleanup in the Swiss city. The team conducted a cleanup and a brand audit. A brand audit records information about the companies producing the plastic found at cleanups and contributes to global research on corporate polluters. The full video, currently only available in Swiss German, can be watched here

A policy 4 years in the making: India bans single-use plastics

A step in the right direction, but are communities and corporations ready for the change? This interesting analysis looks at how the ban is working in practice and its long term prospects.

Alpine kids become Trash Heroes!

by Vanessa Rieser on 23/11/2021 No comments

Three pilot classes have been implemented as part of the Trash Hero Kids’ Programme in Switzerland, with the aim of raising environmental awareness among children from 1st to 3rd grade and teaching them how to live sustainably and reduce plastic in their everyday life.

As part of the Programme we developed a book which tells the story of a fictional character who helps to reduce plastic waste, so that the animals and nature around them are not harmed. The book shows, in a simple and child-friendly way, the impact of plastic waste pollution on the environment and teaches that each individual can make a change every day and become a Trash Hero themselves.

In Bratsch in the canton of Valais, our book was read as a group in the morning circle over a period of several months. When doing handicrafts, more attention was paid to using recycled materials and creating something new from old things. In addition, focus weeks were held in various subjects. The content of the programme is in line with Curriculum 21 and the Kid’s Book is suitable for art, German maths, as well as for sports and music classes. A pogramme highlight was the Cleanup, with the whole school taking part across four villages. Divided into four groups, several full bags of trash were collected and then disposed of by the community.

The school concluded: “Thank you very much for letting us be part of the Trash Hero project. We will continue with it this school year and will take a deeper look at earthworm composting. The Trash Hero Kid’s Book is appropriate for children and sustainable for learning. We spend a lot of time outdoors and because of the story, it’s much easier to talk to kids about trash in nature.”

For more information on the Trash Hero Kid’s Book go to: https://trashhero.org/trash-hero-kids-book/

Want to implement the Trash Hero Kids Programme in your school? Contact us at: kids@trashhero.org