← FFCheckWho do I contact?DE
Government · Switzerland
Updated September 2026

🗑️ Someone dumped waste or is polluting — who do I report it to?

Direct answer

Fly-tipping, a leaking container, oil in a stream: report to Gemeindeverwaltung / Stadtverwaltung (ch.ch) — the municipality clears public land and fines when there is evidence (a photo of the plate, a document in the waste). Larger pollution, industrial sites, chemicals, dead fish: Kantonales Amt für Umwelt / Wohnhygiene der Stadt (bafu.admin.ch), the environmental inspectorate, which has a 24-hour line in most countries. Dumping in progress with a vehicle: Kantonspolizei — Suisse ePolice (suisse-epolice.ch) — do not confront.

Call firstGemeindeverwaltung / Stadtverwaltung
Report toKantonales Amt für Umwelt / Wohnhygiene der Stadt
If that failsKantonspolizei — Suisse ePolice

🗣️ What to say

"At [location] there is [dumped waste / a pollution: what], since [date/time]. [Plate / description of vehicle or person if seen.] Photos attached. Please remove it and investigate; I can be contacted at [number] / anonymously."

🪜 Step by step

  1. Photograph, do not touchWide and close shots; anything with a name or plate. Do not search through it.
  2. Report: Gemeindeverwaltung / StadtverwaltungOnline form or app; the municipality clears public land within days.
  3. Pollution: Kantonales Amt für Umwelt / Wohnhygiene der StadtChemicals, oil, smoke, smell from a site, water discoloration — the inspectorate, immediately.
  4. In progress: Kantonspolizei — Suisse ePoliceA vehicle unloading: police, with the plate. Do not confront.
  5. Private landThe owner must clear it; the municipality can order and fine. Report anyway.

📇 All contacts

Gemeindeverwaltung / StadtverwaltungMunicipal administration: residents, order, noise, waste, lost propertyFor anything the municipality regulates🔗 www.ch.ch
Kantonales Amt für Umwelt / Wohnhygiene der StadtEnvironmental health: mould, pests, noise, pollutionWhen health is at risk at home or nearby🔗 www.bafu.admin.ch
Kantonspolizei — Suisse ePoliceReport online or at the stationAlways; you need the reference for the bank🔗 www.suisse-epolice.ch
Ombudsstelle des Kantons / der StadtComplaints about administration, free (where it exists)When the authority does not answer or acts unfairly🔗 www.ombudsman-ch.ch

❓ Frequently asked

Can I be fined for waste dumped in front of my house?

Not if you report it and it is not yours. Reporting protects you.

Asbestos or drums of chemicals

Stay away, keep children and pets away, report to Kantonales Amt für Umwelt / Wohnhygiene der Stadt as hazardous. Specialist removal is arranged by the authority.

A neighbour burns rubbish

Prohibited nearly everywhere; report to Gemeindeverwaltung / Stadtverwaltung with times and photos of the smoke; repeated burning goes to Kantonales Amt für Umwelt / Wohnhygiene der Stadt.

📎 Sources

Last checked: 2026-09-26

🔎 Common searches

Recognise your own search? The answer above covers all of these.

  • “report illegal dumping Switzerland”
  • “fly tipping report municipality”
  • “environmental pollution hotline Switzerland”
  • “report chemical spill”
  • “neighbour burning waste”

🧭 Is this still correct?

We check this information carefully, but phone numbers, websites and rules change — and sometimes we get something wrong. Spotted a mistake or a change? Let us know below.

🔗 Related questions

💡Broken streetlight→🐀Pests→📩Object to a decision→⚡Power outage→

Your tools for Switzerland

Before it goes wrongCan I?What is allowed, what is not, which permit you need — with the official source.Energy · SwitzerlandElectricity & gasThe rules that protect you as an electricity and gas customer in Switzerland, and who to contact. Every fact is checked on an official source.Recognise it firstIs dit veilig?Check a phone number, website or message against 47,000 scam dossiers.