Switzerland's rubbish incinerators worked harder last year, getting through 3.65 million tons of waste – ten per cent more than in 2005.

The increase was due in part to larger amounts of Swiss rubbish, on the rise because of a more robust economy, but also to over 400,000 tons of imported rubbish, mostly from Germany.

The Federal Environment Office said these imports meant the country's 29 incinerators were able to put available capacity to good use and avoid the creation of landfill sites abroad.

Electricity generated from burning rubbish also reached a new high, with production climbing to around 3.1 per cent of the country's power output, or the equivalent of two-thirds of that of a nuclear power plant.

More than 50 per cent of all rubbish collected last year was recycled, putting Switzerland among leading nations.

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