Old clothing crisis in Fürstenfeldbruck: EU directive at risk collector!

Old clothing crisis in Fürstenfeldbruck: EU directive at risk collector!

The new EU guidelines for old clothing disposal, which have been in effect since January 1, 2025, ensure that is really vertebrae, especially in Fürstenfeldbruck. With this regulation that prescribes a separate collection of textiles such as clothing, bed linen and curtains, European institutions want to boost reuse and recycling of textiles. At the same time, the amount of burned or deposited textiles is to be reduced. This is pointed out by Mercury, which reports on a "desolate market environment", which was created as a result of this directive.

"In Fürstenfeldbruck our collectors have already retired due to the increasing amount of unusable textiles," complains Stefan Mayer, head of the waste management company (AWB). According to Mayer, the market for old clothes has collapsed. More and more sorting companies are able to register bankruptcy, which is causing great concern. The EU regulation means that in the old clothing containers, inferior pieces are increasingly landing that reduce the quality of the material collected.

EU specifications hit the right nerve?

The thought behind the EU requirements couldn't be better. With the separation of the textiles from other waste, you want to pave the way for more recycling. Every year, over one million tons of old textiles end up in the containers in Germany - only about 50% are still useful! Most of these are re -marketed outside the EU, while only a small part of people in need benefits. Elsewhere in Europe, it looks even more difficult: In countries like Latvia and Spain, the collection of old clothes has a collective rate of just 5% or 12%.

The implementation is not without challenges. The AWB in Fürstenfeldbruck generated income of almost 29,000 euros through the sale of old dresses in 2024, but in 2025 it will probably have to pay almost 32,000 euros for the collection. This raises the question of how sustainable the entire system can be if the financial burdens rise so much. District Administrator Thomas Karmasin has therefore brought an enlightening appeal into play to encourage citizens to bring only good quality old dresses into the containers.

The situation in numbers

A better understanding of the new regulations can help improve the situation. It is important that consumers recognize their responsibility and only add the best pieces in the old clothing containers. Tips on how to effectively dispose of old clothes and maybe do a little good, can also be read in a corresponding ZDF contribution.

The developments and challenges related to old clothing disposal are not only a local, but also a European topic. It remains to be seen how the new regulations ultimately work and whether they can achieve the desired effect.