Aldingen: Trouble with used clothing containers – What users should know!

Aldingen: Trouble with used clothing containers – What users should know!

What exciting times we have in the used clothing collection in Aldingen! A user recently took the first step on Facebook and asked where she could hand in unused, sometimes even unworn, clothing. During her research, she went straight to the recycling center in Aldingen, only to experience an unexpected surprise. According to an employee, she was only allowed to throw five to eight items into the used clothing container, which she didn't like at all.

The press spokeswoman for the Tuttlingen district, Susanne Rebholz, confirmed this regulation, which applies to sales in “usual household quantities”. After all, there are several containers in Aldingen that are intended for well-preserved clothing. But what many people don't know is that the collected clothing is not simply disposed of somewhere, but rather finds its way to people in need in Africa. Only clean and viable items belong in the containers. Everything else—like the “dirty shoes” that our user couldn’t hand in—should end up in the trash.

Regulations and challenges

However, the situation has its pitfalls. The company TEXAID, which was responsible for emptying several containers in the community, has filed for bankruptcy. This has led to irregular emptying of the containers, and the municipality is already warning that clothing should no longer be thrown into the containers if these problems occur. Operators such as Caritas, the DRK and Diakonie continue to look after their containers, which is a small relief.

The challenge is palpable: the general conditions for the recycling of used textiles have become significantly tighter in the wake of TEXAID's insolvency. Many factors, including falling revenues from textile recycling and rising logistics costs, are cited as causes. What is particularly noticeable is the problematic trend of “fast fashion”, which leads to a reduction in the quality of the clothing sold and thus overfills the containers with rubbish.

EU directives and the future of used clothing collection

From 2025, the upcoming EU directive will stipulate that old textiles can no longer end up in residual waste, but must be recycled. This responsibility lies with the public waste disposal companies, not primarily with the consumer. Many municipalities are encouraged to create offers for the separate collection of textiles. Would you like an example? In Wiesbaden, reference is made to existing used textile containers that are operated by organizations such as the Red Cross and the Maltese.

The challenge remains: The German Red Cross Hesse is already expressing skepticism about the new regulation, as the fast fashion trend is leaving more and more inferior clothing items in the containers. Many recyclers are struggling with difficulties and are desperately looking for solutions to increase the quality of the textiles they collect. To counteract this, experts appeal to consumers to only throw old textiles into the designated containers and under no circumstances to throw them into the residual waste.

The municipal administration of Aldingen is aware of this challenge and is working together with the operators and the district on a solution for the collection of used clothing. It will be exciting to see how the situation will develop in the coming months. Your old treasures can make a big difference if given right!