Large clothing container in Sternberg disappeared: Where should the clothes go?

Large clothing container in Sternberg disappeared: Where should the clothes go?

In Cologne, the wardrobe is faced with a challenge in many places. The need for space requires a mucking out of the old clothes. But what to do with the textiles that are no longer used? Anyone who now thinks that there is a simple decision between throwing away and passing on will quickly be confronted with reality: old clothing containers have become rare. The containers, who were once an integral part of the cityscape, are increasingly disappearing what makes the disposal of old clothes much more complicated. Currently, the cooperation between the residents and non-profit organizations such as the German Red Cross is not as smooth as it should be. Many containers were removed due to littering and high costs for their cleaning, so that the recently remaining collection containers, such as one at the Sternberger housing association, are becoming more and more difficult to find and hidden behind buildings.

The situation is still exacerbated by the newly introduced separate collection obligation for the waste materials from January 1, 2025. This EU directive aims to reduce the attack of waste and at the same time promote the recycling of textiles. According to a survey, over one million tons of old textiles end up in containers annually in Germany, with only about 50 percent being used again. Quite sobering when you consider that the rest is often destroyed or far away, often outside the EU, as the reporting of ZDF.

Way of the old textiles

While the recycling of old clothes is the focus of the new EU regulations, there is a pressing note: broken or heavily soiled clothing should be in the residual waste bin. Well -preserved clothing, shoes, accessories and home textiles, on the other hand, are suitable for the collection of clothes. But what happens to the textiles that are no longer portable? These are usually handed over to exploitation companies. There, for example, they are processed into floor mats or plaster flaps. Create an environment in which the focus is on recycling instead of garbage production-this is also the goal that DRK. The proceeds from the exploitation support important social projects such as youth work.

The effects of littering

A big problem are the increasingly contaminated old clothing containers. If well -preserved clothing ends up in an environment that is shaped by littering, it often becomes unusable. This means that more textiles still end up in household waste, which further affects the environment. In Ludwigslust-Parchim, for example, most residents adhere to the regulations for the old dress collection and only 1.84 percent of the usable clothing landed in the trash. A comparison shows that in other European countries such as Latvia and Spain, the collective quotas are significantly lower - here the fight against the littering is about a completely different caliber.

With the new provisions, the discussion about the "expanded responsibility of manufacturer" will also be louder. This means that manufacturers have to pay for the collection and recycling of their products. However, since the sorting of textiles is expensive and personally intensive, changes in the industry are urgently needed to improve the recycling and the recycling process.

On the way to the solution, however, it is crucial that consumers buy less and choose more durable products. Labels such as blue angels or green buttons could help shop more consciously and make a small contribution to relieving the environment. Clothing and second-hand purchases should also be very popular again. In the face of these challenges, each individual is responsible for promoting sustainable use of old clothes.