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Mountains of rubbish next to old clothing containers: a nuisance in MV!
Overfilled old clothing containers and growing mountains of garbage in MV - problems and changes in textile disposal from 2025.
Mountains of rubbish next to old clothing containers: a nuisance in MV!
At a time when sustainability is very important, the disposal of old clothes is increasingly in focus, and not just in Cologne. Rather, this is a nationwide phenomenon that has to contend with overfilled used clothing containers and wild garbage. The problems are particularly noticeable in large cities in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, such as sueddeutsche.de reported. The number of complaints has increased since the beginning of the year, especially in Schwerin, where there are 104 containers in the city area.
One reason for the increasing problems is the uncertain recycling chain for used textiles. The insolvency of an important recycler has caused additional uncertainty. The sales markets for used textiles, for example in Ukraine and Africa, have also collapsed, which does not exactly improve the situation. Other cities such as Rostock, with over 200 used clothing containers, and Greifswald, where around 150 containers are located on city property, share the concerns about the mountains of garbage.
New legal requirements and challenges
Since January 1, 2023, there has been a separate collection requirement for textiles in the EU. However, this regulation causes confusion among consumers. False media voices claim that soiled and torn clothing should no longer be disposed of with household waste. “However, that is not correct,” emphasizes Uwe Feige, plant manager of the Jena municipal service, as chip.de shows. The used clothing collection market has changed significantly and many social organizations are withdrawing due to financial problems.
It has recently become known that Germany collects over a million tons of used textiles every year, but only around 50 percent of them are still usable. The rest is mainly sold outside the EU. The challenges are complex: no suitable recycling methods and rising processing costs are affecting the used clothing industry. Fiber-to-fiber recycling is an issue in theory, but in practice it is still far from being used industrially, as zdf.de reports.
A look into the future
From 2025 there will be even stricter regulations regarding the disposal of inferior or damaged textiles. This could further increase the pressure on municipal containers and lead to more secondary deposits. Nevertheless, there is hope for a digital future, as extended producer responsibility is being discussed, which could be introduced in the next one or two years.
Old clothing collection in Germany is largely carried out by non-profit organizations. Currently, over 60 percent of the old textiles collected are reused, which is positive given the increasing mountains of waste. Consumers are required to consume less and rely on sustainable products. In a sense, personal responsibility is needed more than ever to get this problem under control.