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Crisis alert: DRK stops collection of old clothes – Lüdenscheid affected!
In the Märkisches Kreis, the DRK is stopping collecting old clothes, which is due to the market crisis and lack of sales opportunities.
Crisis alert: DRK stops collection of old clothes – Lüdenscheid affected!
The used clothing collection in Lüdenscheid is facing a major upheaval. The DRK district association Märkischer Kreis has announced that it will discontinue this important collection. The reason for this is the collapse of the used clothing market and the lack of sales markets. The first containers have already been dismantled, and another 80 containers are expected to follow by the end of the year. This means the end of a practice that has been part of the region's environmental and recycling strategies for many years, as come-on.de reports.
A total of around 120 containers were in use before this step, but there is now an unfortunate loss of two jobs at the DRK and a turnover of 158,000 euros in 2023 will no longer occur from 2026. In the city of Lüdenscheid, around 350 tons of clothing have to be sorted every year, but the increasing contamination and the increasing amount of cheap clothing pose enormous challenges to the sorting work.
The crisis in the used clothing industry
The Diakonisches Werk speaks of a “serious crisis” in the industry, which is also resulting in the insolvencies of recyclers. A key problem is the uncertainty about the disposal of textiles, which is exacerbated by the new EU Waste Framework Directive. The desirable locations for used clothing containers are now unused, leading to littering in the area. This development affects not only Lüdenscheid, but the entire market for used clothing in Germany. Specialist magazines confirm this worrying trend.
In Germany, around a ton of old clothes and textiles accumulate every year, which is primarily due to the increased production and consumption of clothing. While billions of pieces of clothing are produced every year, damaged or worn pieces increasingly end up in used clothing collections. Statista states that almost half of the donated old clothes and textiles are ultimately classified as garbage. This has several negative effects, both for the environment and for the countries that receive the clothing donations.
The challenge of the textile industry
The cost of disposing of broken clothing continues to rise, and many items of clothing have limited use as raw materials. In particular, developing countries that receive this so-called “economic waste” face enormous environmental problems. This results in garbage often being dumped into rivers or burned, releasing harmful chemicals. Countries such as Pakistan, India and Chile are particularly affected, where mountains of garbage are even emerging in nature reserves such as the Atacama Desert.
Against this background, alternatives to used clothing containers are becoming increasingly important. Many Germans sell their used clothing on eBay or find new buyers through flea markets. According to Apple, more and more people are using the eBay platform to offer used clothing and make a little money. This is a sign of the constantly growing market for used and upcycled fashion, which is also being taken up by smaller fashion labels.
The used clothing situation in Lüdenscheid and beyond is a clear sign of the challenges facing the textile industry and our society as a whole. Only by rethinking can we help ensure that our environment no longer suffers. It remains to be seen what solutions the affected actors will find in the future to overcome this crisis.