The Swiss PET recycling initiative PET-Recycling Schweiz (PRS, www.petrecycling.ch), Zürich, in which 85% of the country´s beverage bottle manufacturers, importers, bottlers and retailers are organised, increased its recycling rate for PET bottles to 78% in 2004 from 76% in 2003. However, this was still not sufficient to ban the possibility of a mandatory deposit on disposable plastic packaging threatened by the Swiss government if the recyclng rate falls below 75%. In 2003, recyclers operating outside PRS pressed the overall rate to 71%, and the initiative´s marketing director, Jean- Claude Würmli, said a repeat of this pattern was likely in 2004. The Swiss agency for the environment, forests and landscape SAEFL (CH-3003 Bern; www.saefl.ch) is due to publish exact figures (in German) in June.