Zurich is retiring its disposal tram, which makes its last stop in Hirzenbach on Tuesday 20 October 2026, while its mobile recycling centre expands to 33 locations across the city. The expansion will be completed by early 2027. According to the city, most residents will then have a mobile recycling centre close to home.
What changes
The mobile recycling centre currently stops regularly at 31 locations. A new site in Leimbach will be added by the end of this year. From 2027 the service will also stop in Alt-Wiedikon, and in Wipkingen the stop will move from the Waidhalde school to the more central Röschibachplatz.
| Stage | Locations |
|---|---|
| Pilot, 2022 | 4 |
| Today | 31 |
| By end of 2026 | new site in Leimbach |
| From 2027 | Alt-Wiedikon added, 33 in total |
The disposal tram is being retired after more than 85 years, more than 20 of them in the service of Entsorgung + Recycling Zürich. The cargo tram collected bulky waste, pit waste and metal, while the E-tram collected electrical appliances. Its eleven stops will now be served by the electric lorries of the mobile recycling centre, some at slightly shifted locations. A further 22 locations across the city that the tram could not reach are being added.
How the service is used
About 500 people visit the mobile recycling centre during each four-hour session, and roughly half of them also use the swap area or the repair advice. The city says the service, at first used mainly for local waste disposal, has become a meeting point in many neighbourhoods. Thanks to the swap area and repair advice, waste reduction also plays an important role. “The service is popular and well used,” said Simone Brander, the city councillor who heads the Civil Engineering and Waste Disposal Department.
Background
The mobile recycling centre started in 2022 as a pilot at four locations. In spring 2025 the municipal council backed its introduction across the whole city (GR No. 2024/455). Brander described the service as close to the population, a place for encounters and an important contribution to the circular economy.