If you are going to charge 20 chf's for them, then at least bloody well make them properly so that 1 in every 3 doesn't tear at the top when you pull them full out of the bin.

I know, right? I usually have plenty of packaging tape around so when the blue handle/cinch rips away from the pocket I just tape it all up and chuck it out anyway. They haven't fined me yet, so I guess they're used to torn up bags...

You just need to improve your technique.

Nah, maybe we're just getting more bang for our (slightly damaged) buck.
I like to wait till they're stuffed full enough that I have trouble lifting them into the bin.

After quite a few minor catastrophes I probably use the necessary technique to keep even Züri sacks in one piece.
Softer, 'padding' rubbish goes round the edges, I ease the bag out of the container gently and afterwards push the contents down firmly but giving time for the air to come out too. I always hold them underneath when taking them out to the large container.
I was probably one of the ones who made the town council here complain bitterly, when the bags were first introduced, that 'housewives were putting too much rubbish in the bags'!?!

Not even an expert can get more than 35 litres into a 35 litre bag, but I don't pay to have 'air' disposed of so I make sure I only put it out to be collected when it is full.

__________________
Longbyt

I just come frm zurich to kloten. Can I use the white color zuri sacs here in kloten as well to dispose of garbage. I have seen only grey or blk colored bags here in kloten and I am still left with a few white ones.
Thks

You can use the white ones as long as you travel with your rubbish into Zurich to drop off the rubbish.

Otherwise you'll get fined. Unless they have no way to find out who used the wrong bag.

How many do you have? I'll take em half off from you. And will be in Kloten area tomorrow evening as well.

You'll need to use the black rubbish bags - you can find them in Migros and Coop and don't forget to buy the Abfallgebuhr (rubbish stickers) to go on them! You can pick the stickers up in your local supermarket too.

This is something I didn't know. Please explain in more detail. Thanks.

Many a true word is spoken in jest.

A buddy of mine worked as a security guard when he was a student and he says at that time the rubbish charge in Zürich was cheaper than in some of the snobbish Goldküste Gemeindes and it wasn't uncommon to see some top-of-the-range Jaguar or Porsche drive into some side street at 3am to offlosd some Züri Sacks.

Some Kantons have specific bags (like Zurich or Basel), others use normal bin bags and you need to buy special stickers from your local shops to "pay" for the bin bags.

Kloten uses the normal Zürich-Unterland bin bags from IGKSG (black, with a purple sun on it), check out page 5 of this pdf: http://www.umweltraum.ch/pdf/igksg_flyer.pdf.

No stickers needed.

Like others have suggested, you can buy these in any supermarket (Coop, Migros, Spar, Denner...).

As i have been told most of the times they do find out who used the bags!

aha, an old thread on zuri sack quality!

I've never had a problem with zuri sacks until the last couple of months but with very little encouragement several have split their entire length at the seams, like they were barely glued. I end up putting out a black bin bag with a completely open zuri sack tied round it. Anyone else noticing a particular degradation in quality.

Maybe they're not Swiss made anymore. Maybe they're being made by the same people who make Coop paper bags.

There was a thread a while ago about counterfeit bags being in circulation, which may be of an inferior quality, but I guess if you got yours from a post office or supermarket yours would be ok.

Having said that, a couple of the bags have split on me as well, usually when you pull the drawstring tight, but I just seal them up with some tape instead.

Jeez those new Coop Oeco bags are shite, aren't they? Get them slightly damp or a slight rip near the handle and that's your shopping all over the tram floor.

I try to have one of the plastic ones in my handbag all the time in case I go shopping but when I forget I end up with those crap paper bags.

Only if you're silly enough to throw letters, invoices etc. with your address on into the bag (which you should actually dispose of through the bi-weekly paper recycling collection service - I guess - unless it's really confidential stuff) .

But I am all for doing it the proper way...that's the Swiss in me I guess, I can't help it.