Old clothing chaos in Erfurt: Complete containers, city sounds the alarm!
Old clothing chaos in Erfurt: Complete containers, city sounds the alarm!
Erfurt, Deutschland - A walk through the Rieth district in Erfurt has brought more than affected discovery for Steffen. He came across an old clothing container that was not only overcrowded, but was also surrounded by a real mountain of old dresses and garbage bags. His ironic statement in a Facebook group, "Miracle of Nature", promptly brought numerous user reactions that found the situation to be worrying. One commentator noted: "Collection is not a waste disposal", while someone else addressed the sad reality in many cities. This lack of insight among the population illustrates the increasing problem that the old clothing markets also burdened by the new EU directive. According to Thuringia24, it is to be expected that the city of Erfurt would like to put an end to the sight in the coming days and have the illegal old dress container removed.
But what is the background of this problem? According to reports from the Thuringians, the overcrowding of the old clothes containers is not only a local phenomenon, but also runs through cities like Weimar, Jena and Gera. Again and again things end up in these containers who don't belong there. This leads to contamination of the donations collected, which can then no longer be used. The general EU requirement for the separate collection of used textiles, which will become effective from January 1, 2025, also causes confusion among consumers. Many do not know that dirty textiles and old clothes belong to the residual waste.
challenges on the old clothing market
A look at the old textiles collected shows that in Germany there are over one million tons in containers every year, of which only around 50% can actually be used. The rest is either burned exclusively or sent as no longer used goods. The new EU directive aims to reduce the amount of burned or deposited textiles while promoting reuse and recycling. Germany currently only has a collective rate of 22% for old textiles, which is rather modest in international comparison.
The situation is additionally burdened by charitable institutions, such as the DRK. These had to increase the operating and disposal costs, which has increasingly led to a withdrawal of non-profit collectors in recent years. It is required that only clothing gets into the containers in a good, portable state - portable clothing must be handed over to facilities such as Caritas or city mission, while no longer portable pieces should be disposed of in residual waste or at recycling stations.
What can everyone do?
In view of these challenges, it is important to raise awareness of the responsible use of clothing and to consume less. Consumers are advised to select durable products and to consider second-hand offers or clothing exchange exchanges. The upcoming EU requirements could help to better use old textiles and reduce the garbage. But this also requires a broad education in the population.The city of Erfurt has shown clear alternatives and calls the citizens to give up usable clothing in the local clothing chambers instead of disposing of them in the crowded containers. By contributing to each individual, a positive change in the old clothing situation may soon be achieved.
For more information about old dresses containers and their proper disposal looks at the pages of , The Thuringian and zdfheute .
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| Ort | Erfurt, Deutschland |
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