Bag charging in Ticino: how it works and what it costs

In Ticino waste is paid for twice, through two charges with different functions. That is precisely why the system is called mixed: one part is fixed, the other depends on how much you throw away.

The base charge is annual and covers the costs of separate collection, running and maintaining collection points and transporting all waste. It does not change with the number of bags produced.

The bag charge, by contrast, is a user charge, proportional to the quantity of non-recyclable waste. It is paid when buying official bags and covers the incineration costs of the cantonal waste company. The retail price includes the charge itself, the cost of producing and distributing the bag, and VAT.

What it costs: the Lugano example

Amounts are set by individual municipalities within cantonal limits, so they vary from place to place. In Lugano official bags cost 40 centimes for the 17-litre size, 85 centimes for the 35-litre size and 1 franc 45 for the 60-litre size.

Also in Lugano the annual base charge is 50 francs for people living alone and 100 francs for households of two or more. The same amounts apply to second homes, depending on the number of beds. Businesses pay between 50 and 800 francs a year, according to size and number of employees.

Prices may be adjusted from year to year in line with cantonal guidance. Anyone moving from one municipality to another will therefore find different amounts, and bags of a different colour: Lugano's official bag, for instance, is red with white lettering.

What goes in the bag and what does not

The official bag takes municipal solid waste, meaning the residual waste that cannot be directed to a separate collection stream. Paper, glass, PET, aluminium, garden waste and bulky items follow separate routes through recycling centres and collection points.

Only official bags may be used for kerbside collection. Anyone putting out a different bag risks it not being taken and, depending on the municipal regulations, a fine. This is the mechanism the whole system rests on: separating waste pays, because it reduces the part of the cost that depends on individual behaviour.