UniBas Hospital Averts Food Waste; New Years Eve Garbage Hangover; Icy Dip Tradition Continues

News For 6 January 2019

In an effort to cut down on food waste and cost, the University Hospital of Basel will no longer prepare individual meals for each patient.  In the wake of changing its catering services vendor at the end of 2018, the hospital elected to use pre-cooked and pre-packaged meals which the hospital now claims has reduced waste by 18%.  However, the program is not without its flaws.  Apparently, most of the pre-packaging used, is plastic neutralizing some of the benefits of the reduced volume. The hospital is aware of the trade-off and is evaluating how to replace packaging with more eco-friendly alternatives.

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Fireworks are an essential part of New Year's Eve activities in Basel.  Some residents however, are outraged at the refuse left behind by those lighting them.  The city has a special budget for sanitation workers to clean up the mess by hand, as the machines normally employed by the city to clean the streets and parks are not effective against exploded fireworks and bottle rocket sticks.  In addition, complaints have poured in that in the aftermath, people aren't even bothering to put the bottles used to launch the rockets in the extra, near-by trash bins provided by the city in the parks for the festivities.  Officially, the city has responded in a statement threatening the enactment of fines for those caught littering or failing to clean up after themselves.

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Last Sunday afternoon 19 people jumped in to the icy waters of the Rhein river, celebrating the Three Kings Swim tradition.  The water temperature was measured at a balmy 7 degrees centigrade.  Participants report that it only takes a few seconds to participate - any longer leaves you with painful, extremities.  On scene was 53 year old Dora Moser, one of the founders of the event, who enjoys a daily dip in the Rhein year-round.  Also in attendance were crowds of on-lookers encouraging the swimmers to jump in.