Erfurt in the old clothes chaos: Containers overflow with garbage!

Erfurt in the old clothes chaos: Containers overflow with garbage!

Erfurt, Deutschland - A normal walk can sometimes have completely unexpected surprises. So Steffen from Erfurt, who discovered a old clothing container in the Rieth district, who was anything but inviting. Around this container, a mountain pile of old clothes and garbage bags piled up, which not only clouds the image of the neighborhood, but also raises questions about the correct use of these collection points. Steffen shot a photo and shared it in an Erfurt Facebook group. His ironic comment on the improper use of the containers received stunned echo from other users who criticized the situation. According to [thueringen24.de] (https://www.thueringen24.de/erfurt/article300519108/Erfurter-altkleider-container-rieth-news-bischen.html) the city of Erfurt sees the matter as an exception: the container is illegal because it is not indicated in the city. The city plans to remove this and the worse -related clothing in the coming days.

The problem with overcrowded old clothing containers is not an isolated case in Thuringia. More and more municipalities and charitable organizations such as the German Red Cross (DRK) and the Maltese report on similar abuses. In cities such as Jena, Gera, and Eisenach, the frequency of the containers has increased significantly, which leads to an increasing number of improperly thrown objects. Mandy Plickert from the Weimar city administration describes that garbage is increasingly being stored next to the containers, which also contains the situation. This is also confirmed by euwid-recycling.de.

just too much garbage

The problem with waste in old clothing containers is unfortunately not new. Again and again, charitable facilities such as the DRK have to sort the collected textiles in order to pass on only the useful parts to clothing chambers. Often enough, they find that 65 percent of the clothing collected are exported as second-hand goods, while the rest are either processed into insulation materials or simply burned. The sheer amount of dirty or damaged textile makes the use of these containers uneconomical and stressful. Above all, the increase in fast fashion contributes to the deterioration of the situation, because many articles are of inferior quality, which makes it difficult to use.

consumers are also unsettled, and the introduction of the EU directive to the separate collection of old clothes from 2025 does not exactly contribute to clarifying the situation. The consumer advice centers indicate that only public disposal providers are affected by this regulation. Verquiled containers and abusive disposal also lead to higher disposal costs for the municipalities. Even the city administration of Jena already reports on a structural withdrawal of collectors and sunken revenue from clothing collections.

What to do?

Awareness of the correct disposal of old textiles is urgently required. Initiatives such as bund-naturschutz.de recommend that clothing only be inserted into old dresses containers in really good condition. Free of separation, clean textiles should find their place there so as not to contaminate the remaining well -preserved well -preserved clothing. Other options for submitting clothing include acquaintances, clothing exchange parties or even specialized online platforms.