Old clothing puzzle: Where do our clothes disappear in Sternberg?

Old clothing puzzle: Where do our clothes disappear in Sternberg?

Times are changing and this is also noticeable in many people's wardrobes. Old clothes urgently need to be looked through, but what to do with the unused items? The question comes up more and more often: throw it away or pass it on? In many cities, including the Sternberg area, disposing of old clothes is becoming a challenge. Loud Northern Courier Old clothing containers are increasingly rare. The last example in Sternberg is behind the main building of the local housing association and belongs to the company Humana, which processes the collected textiles in a sorting company near Berlin and sells them in its own shops.

However, the situation is more tense than ever before. In many regions, such as the Ludwigslust-Parchim area, citizens adhere to recycling guidelines, but the trend shows that many used clothing containers have been dismantled. The reasons for this decline are varied. The German Red Cross (DRK), which has set up containers in the past, is withdrawing due to littering and the associated costs. Time and time again, well-preserved clothing is contaminated by garbage, making it unusable.

New EU regulations at the door

Another aspect that is causing excitement this time are the new EU regulations, which will come into force on January 1, 2025. These require separate collection of old materials and demand that textiles no longer simply belong in the residual waste. As the ZDF As he describes, over a million tons of old textiles end up in German containers every year, of which only around 50% are actually still usable. The rest often goes abroad or is not recycled sustainably. In order to increase the recycling rate, EU politicians are considering “extended producer responsibility”, which would make manufacturers responsible for ensuring that their products are collected and recycled.

So where do you put your old clothes when there are no more containers available? A solution can be found in many communities that offer the opportunity to donate usable clothing to charity shops. The DRK Parchim, for example, accepts wearable parts and uses the proceeds for important social projects, such as supporting youth work or disaster protection. There is also a solution for damaged textiles: They are handed over to a recycling society that processes the raw materials for new products - from doormats to cleaning rags.

Environmental awareness starts in the wardrobe

As current developments show, the issue of old textiles is not just a question of cleaning the wardrobe. The EU guidelines aim to reduce the number of textiles burned or landfilled every year and ultimately reduce the burden on the environment. In Germany, citizens are increasingly getting involved in sustainable waste disposal. In Ludwigslust-Parchim, for example, only 1.84 percent of clothing textiles found their way into the residual waste, which represents a positive trend.

Rethinking is required. Consumers are encouraged to buy less, choose long-lasting products and engage in second-hand shopping and clothing swaps. In this way, together we contribute to protecting the environment to some extent and at the same time refreshing our own wardrobe.