Truth Or Tale: Fact Check Does Switzerland Send Old Cars To Africa?

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) A reader asked if it was true that Switzerland sends large waste items, such as unusable old cars, to countries in Africa. SWI swissinfo went in search of an answer. This content was published on April 9, 2025 - 09:00 1 minute

Reporter specialised in Swiss foreign affairs, with a side hustle as a sub-editor in the English Department. Previously my focus was on disinformation and fact-checks, which I still produce occasionally.

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I oversee the distribution and social media channels for the English department and write news articles in English. I studied modern languages, English, and Russian literature, then completed an MA in international journalism in Cardiff. After that, I worked for BBC Education in Manchester for a few years before moving to Switzerland.

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Switzerland has strict rules when it comes to handling waste, including for vehicles that are no longer roadworthy. These are considered“controlled waste” because of the toxic nature of some of the components.

Switzerland cannot export this type of waste to countries outside the European Union or the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). To protect the environment and human health, old cars are processed by licensed companies like the Thommen Group, which runs a large recycling and shredding plant near the capital Bern.

Here, on a one-kilometre strip of land between a motorway and the railway, specialists drain vehicles of all fluids and batteries, then remove parts that can be reused – mainly valuable metals like aluminium and copper – through a shredding process.

Each year, 50,000-60,000 scrap vehicles go through such a recycling process in Switzerland. But some cars slip through the cracks and end up being exported – illegally – to countries that lack the means that Switzerland has to recycle this waste effectively.

Learn more about the global problem of waste trafficking in our related story:

More More Are Western countries doing enough to tackle waste trafficking?

This content was published on Feb 25, 2025 The illegal trade in waste is a crime that even countries with strict waste regulations, such as Switzerland, struggle to prosecute effectively.

Read more: Are Western countries doing enough to tackle waste trafficking

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