Key facts
The Basel Convention in the area of electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) governs the import and export of hazardous waste and its environmentally sound disposal. As part of an international parallel audit with the audit offices of Germany and Austria, the Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO) examined implementation in Switzerland. The three audit offices are expected to assess the situation in Germany and Austria in a joint report at the end of 2026.
135 000
tonnes of e-waste collected
7 000
tonnes of e-waste exported
100
complaints in five years
7
legally binding judgments in five years
Main conclusions
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Legal framework fully implemented
Switzerland fully transposed the new provisions of the Basel Convention on e-waste into national law on time.
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Non-dissuasive sanctions
Low penalties, hardly any judgments and a lack of instruments for minor cases reduce the preventive effect of sanctions.
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Correct authorisation procedures
The Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) applies the authorisation procedure for transboundary movements of waste as prescribed.
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Effectiveness of risk analysis compromised
The lack of a digital link between federal offices makes it difficult to allocate transboundary movements and impairs effective risk-based customs controls.
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No systematic international cooperation
Exchanges with neighbouring countries work, but are mainly case-related and without a digital link between the specialist systems.
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No national recycling targets
The absence of binding recycling targets and harmonised indicators prevents effective monitoring of e-waste recycling and complicates international comparisons.