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Used clothing crisis in Fürstenfeldbruck: EU directive endangers collectors!
New EU directive on the disposal of used clothing from 2025: Impact on the market and collection in Fürstenfeldbruck.
Used clothing crisis in Fürstenfeldbruck: EU directive endangers collectors!
The new EU regulations for the disposal of old clothing, which have been in force since January 1, 2025, are causing quite a stir, especially in Fürstenfeldbruck. With this regulation, which requires separate collection of textiles such as clothing, bed linen and curtains, the European institutions want to stimulate the reuse and recycling of textiles. At the same time, the amount of textiles burned or dumped should be reduced. This is pointed out by Merkur, which reports on a “desolate market environment” that has arisen as a result of this directive.
“In Fürstenfeldbruck, our collectors have already retreated due to the increasing amount of unusable textiles,” complains Stefan Mayer, head of the waste management company (AWB). According to Mayer, the market for used clothing has collapsed. More and more sorting companies are finding themselves in the position of filing for bankruptcy, which is causing great concern. The EU regulation means that increasingly inferior items end up in used clothing containers, which reduce the quality of the material collected.
EU regulations hit the right nerve?
The idea behind the EU guidelines couldn’t be better. By separating textiles from other waste, the aim is to pave the way for more recycling. Every year, over a million tons of old textiles end up in containers in Germany - only around 50% are still usable! Most of these are remarketed outside the EU, while only a small portion goes to people in need. Elsewhere in Europe things are even more difficult: in countries like Latvia and Spain, the collection of used clothes has a collection rate of just 5% or 12%.
However, implementation is not without challenges. The AWB in Fürstenfeldbruck generated income of almost 29,000 euros from the sale of used clothes in 2024, but in 2025 it will probably have to pay almost 32,000 euros for collection. This raises the question of how sustainable the entire system can be when financial burdens rise so sharply. District Administrator Thomas Karmasin has therefore launched an educational appeal to encourage citizens to only bring good quality old clothes into the containers.
The situation in numbers
| Year | Textile waste (tons) | Per capita (kg) |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 112,700 | (not available) |
| 2020 | 187,000 | (not available) |
| 2022 | 910,000 EU-wide | 2kg |
| 2023 | 175,000 | 2kg |
Interestingly, a study shows that on average around 2 kilograms of textile waste is generated per capita in Germany. And while the amount of used clothing that is separated in the EU is currently around 22%, the focus is on better recycling and tackling mixed fibers that make recycling even more difficult.
A better understanding of the new regulations can help improve the situation. It is important that consumers recognize their responsibility and only put the best items in the used clothing bins. Tips on how to dispose of old clothes effectively and perhaps do a little good can also be found in a corresponding ZDF article.
The developments and challenges surrounding the disposal of used clothing are not only a local but also a European issue. It remains to be seen how the new regulations will ultimately work and whether they can achieve the desired effect.