According to the president of Gewerbeverein Saanenland, Jonas Wanzenried, the cost of transporting a cubic metre of excavated material has risen from approximately CHF 20 to CHF 65. For property owners planning construction or major renovation work involving excavation, the additional expense could become a significant factor in project budgets.

The problem is a lack of available local disposal capacity. A proposed expansion of the Saali disposal site in Gsteig, which would have accommodated approximately 90,000 cubic metres of uncontaminated material, has encountered a major planning obstacle.

The cantonal Office for Municipal Affairs and Spatial Planning considers the expansion unviable in its current form because of potential damage to a neighbouring wetland of national importance.

As a result, construction companies increasingly have to transport material to disposal facilities near Kiesen or Farvagny in the canton of Fribourg, both about 70 kilometres from Saanenland.

Heinz Addor of SL Abbau und Deponie AG estimates that approximately 40,000 cubic metres of excavated material still require disposal this autumn, equivalent to at least 3,400 lorry loads.

Environmental organisations WWF and Pro Natura, which objected to the Saali expansion, acknowledge the regional shortage but maintain that legally protected wetlands cannot be compromised to reduce transport costs or emissions.

A possible longer-term solution is the proposed La Rite disposal site, spanning the municipalities of Saanen and Rougemont. With a planned capacity of 850,000 cubic metres, it could provide substantial relief, but authorities in Bern and Vaud are still considering the application.

For now, the shortage adds another potential cost pressure to construction in a region already experiencing considerable building activity.

Source:  Anzeiger von Saanen, Jonathan Schopfer, 30 October 2026