A retiree makes a mistake throwing out the trash, gets fined, and chooses to go to prison instead of paying: “I have time”

In Switzerland, mixing your trash the wrong way can cost you up to $1,100, or even land you behind bars.

That’s what happened to Marc-André C., a retiree from the Vaud region, who was slapped with a $260 fine for tossing a plastic bottle in the wrong bin at a local waste center. In an interview with Swiss outlet 20 Minutes, Marc-André admitted he didn’t know better.

“I honestly thought I could put PET bottles with hard plastics, since sometimes that’s how it’s done,” he explained. But that misunderstanding didn’t save him from the penalty. He says he had no idea the recycling rules were so strict, and the consequences so severe.

The mix-up took place at a waste facility in Écublens, where Marc-André put a PET bottle into a bag with rigid plastics before dumping it into the designated container. An employee witnessed the mistake and immediately called for the waste to be sorted again. Then they recorded Marc-André’s info and issued the fine.

A costly recycling blunder

Marc-André tried to explain and apologize, but the worker stood firm: a $260 fine. That breaks down into a $100 penalty for contamination plus about $160 in administrative fees.

Before this, Marc-André said he had been meticulous about sorting his trash for years, and even helped pick up cans and bottles littered in public spaces. Despite his near-perfect recycling record, it didn’t spare him from the fine.

“I expected a warning, not a $260 ticket,” he said, frustrated. To put it in perspective, he points out that running a red light and hitting a small child with your car can cost about $270 in Switzerland—just a bit more than his fine for the recycling slip-up.

Choosing jail over paying

Écublens authorities are clear on the rules: “Anyone who knowingly or negligently breaks the regulations faces a fine,” they said. While the fine for improper recycling is $260, failure to pay can lead to arrest.

“I’d rather spend a day in jail, as the fine proposes, than pay the $260. I’ve got time,” Marc-André told reporters.

His decision has sparked a debate across Switzerland about how tough the country’s recycling laws really are. Many municipalities hand out similar fines for mixing trash improperly. For example, Lausanne charges about $160, Geneva fines around $210, and in places like Neuchâtel and Fribourg, penalties can range from $20 up to $1,100 depending on the severity.

These strict rules have made Switzerland a global leader in recycling, according to Presence Switzerland, a government agency that promotes the country’s international image. It’s a noteworthy reputation, especially given Switzerland’s consumption levels remain higher than the global average.

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