St. Moritz
Beneath the surface
At the initiative of Badrutt’s Palace, Abfalltaucher Schweiz joined forces with the municipality of St. Moritz, the cantonal police, the sailing club and numerous volunteers to clear Lake St. Moritz of waste. The extensive operation revealed what lies hidden beneath the water’s surface – and how much can be achieved through collective action.
Lake St. Moritz defines both the landscape and life of the destination throughout the year. With its open vistas and sense of space, it is one of the most important places for locals and visitors alike to relax, enjoy sport and come together. What lies beneath its surface, however, usually remains unseen. This made the clean-up initiated by Badrutt’s Palace all the more important. The non-profit organisation Abfalltaucher Schweiz travelled especially to the Engadin to systematically remove waste from selected areas of Lake St. Moritz.
A collective effort
Badrutt’s Palace established contact with Abfalltaucher Schweiz, an organisation specialising in cleaning Switzerland’s lakes and rivers. It soon became clear, however, that an operation of this scale would require far more than accommodation and meals. The municipality of St. Moritz, the cantonal police and the sailing club therefore supported the initiative with personnel, expertise, equipment and infrastructure.
Badrutt’s Palace provided 15 volunteers, while at least as many people from the municipality, police and sailing club helped to ensure that the operation ran safely and smoothly, both on land and on the water. Careful preparation was particularly important given St. Moritz’s altitude of 1,850 metres above sea level. The divers therefore arrived on 26 June to acclimatise to the conditions and prepare the operation together with the local partners.
Two dives, one shared goal
On the morning of 27 June, the first dive began in the area between the sailing club and the Waldhaus. In the afternoon, the team focused on the section between the Ice Arena and the sailing club. The Ice Arena served as a base for the divers and their extensive equipment. A specialist boat equipped with a crane was also launched and used several times to recover particularly heavy objects.
As the divers searched the lakebed, volunteers on boats and along the shore stood ready to receive the recovered items. On land, the waste was sorted and removed immediately. This close coordination was essential, allowing the divers to concentrate fully on their demanding work beneath the surface.
The success of the operation was not measured by the quantity of waste recovered or by whether the finds were particularly spectacular. The aim was to remove everything that did not belong in the lake – from a forgotten umbrella, an old child’s sledge and a ski to clothing, hoses and pieces of metal. In total, more than one tonne of waste was recovered from the lake.
These ordinary objects are a reminder that protecting a lake begins with every single piece of litter. Some of the items may have seemed curious at first sight. Taken together, however, they underline the importance of regular clean-up operations. Waste can remain in the water for many years, damaging habitats and posing a danger to wildlife and people. The initiative therefore had an impact beyond the immediate clean-up: it also made clear that protecting a lake is a shared and ongoing responsibility.
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Volunteer action for Switzerland’s waterways
The tax-exempt, non-profit association Abfalltaucher Schweiz has around 300 members, all of whom give their time on a voluntary basis. Each year, the association carries out between 12 and 15 clean-ups in lakes and rivers throughout Switzerland. In 2025 alone, its members recovered more than 30 tonnes of waste from Swiss waters.
Alongside its underwater operations, the association also works on prevention and awareness-raising. Through talks at schools, companies, clubs and trade fairs, it promotes environmental awareness and demonstrates how waste can be avoided and natural resources used responsibly.
All operations are carried out in the members’ free time and without payment. The organisation’s work is funded entirely through donations, sponsorship and partnerships. This support helps to cover safety equipment, boats, trailers, lifting bags, ropes, gloves, permits and the professional disposal of the recovered material.
The clean-up of Lake St. Moritz was made possible only through the close cooperation of everyone involved. The operation combined the experience of Abfalltaucher Schweiz with the local knowledge and infrastructure of the municipality, police and sailing club, as well as the organisational support and volunteers provided by Badrutt’s Palace.
Its impact therefore went far beyond the objects recovered. The initiative demonstrated how a hotel, public institutions, local organisations and volunteers can work together to take tangible responsibility for a place that is central to the destination as a whole.
Lake St. Moritz will continue to draw the eye, offer a sense of space and bring people together. The clean-up has helped to ensure that the lake is cared for not only where it can be seen, but beneath the surface as well.
Published in September 2026
St. Moritz
Beneath the surface
At the initiative of Badrutt’s Palace, Abfalltaucher Schweiz joined forces with the municipality of St. Moritz, the cantonal police, the sailing club and numerous volunteers to clear Lake St. Moritz of waste. The extensive operation revealed what lies hidden beneath the water’s surface – and how much can be achieved through collective action.
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