Zürich has a complicated solution to garbage management. You pay by the bag. Garbage can only be thrown out in special Züri-Säcken, which at $2 / kitchen size bag is expensive enough that you think twice before throwing things away. (And apparently make garbage bags a shoplifting target, because every store keeps them behind the cashier's counter).

You'd think the expense per bag would mean you would recycle more, but the recycling rules are complex enough we can never figure out what to take where. But they're serious about garbage here. As they say

The white "Züri-Sack" symbolizes more than ever the image of clean Zürich "für e suubers Züri". Depositing of other garbage bags, or of Züri-Sacks at an inappropriate time, is an offence which will be reported to the police and fined.
David McQuillen thinks this is a bit silly, too.
lifezurich2005
  2005-09-28 09:02 Z