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Over 200 tons of old clothes: mountains of German textile waste abroad!
Discover how the EU regulation on used textile collection in Germany promotes recycling and addresses environmental problems.
Over 200 tons of old clothes: mountains of German textile waste abroad!
In an alarming trend, over 200 tonnes of used clothes from Iceland are being shipped abroad for incineration. This practice raises important questions about textile waste and its impact on the environment. Loud Iceland Review The Alpine republic suffers from a lack of effective recycling solutions for old clothes, which results in planned waste disposal.
A large proportion of old clothing that is no longer worn ends up either being incinerated or disposed of in another way. This corresponds to a general trend in many European countries, with 1.3 million tonnes of clothing being thrown away every year in Germany, often without the possibility of recycling. Loud taz Adults in Germany own an average of 95 items of clothing, but many are rarely used.
The challenges of recycling old clothes
Since the beginning of the year, the EU has put a used clothing regulation into force, which states that used textiles may no longer be disposed of with household waste. This scheme aims to promote fiber reuse but faces many challenges. It is often the case that materials consist of mixed materials that are not easy to recycle. In addition, the sorting process requires manual work, which limits the efficiency of recycling.
Despite the established regulations, only 1 percent of old clothing is currently recycled in EU member states. Many companies report overproduction of recycled material, while at the same time demand from industry remains low. The situation is made worse by the fact that clothing container operators fear that only a small amount of the collected textiles will actually be recycled.
The global environmental impact of the textile industry
The textile industry is one of the main causes of environmental pollution, even more than international air and shipping traffic combined. It is responsible for 20 percent of the world's water pollution, and it takes about 2,700 liters of sweet water to produce a single cotton T-shirt. Against this background, it is all the more regrettable that many items of clothing end up in the trash instead of being used sustainably or recycled.
The initiative of waste disposal companies to develop new technologies for sorting old clothes is crucial. The FairWertung association emphasizes the importance of recycling and demands that manufacturers design their products so that they can be recycled more easily.
Given the current situation, improvements in the system are necessary to meet the challenges of old clothing recycling. Establishing new collection systems can take between 12 and 36 months. Consumer advocates advise not to take the ban on disposal in household waste literally so as not to endanger the usability of other textiles.
Recycling and reusing old clothes are essential steps to relieve the burden on the environment and ensure the necessary sustainability in the textile industry. However, the situation is currently worrying in Iceland as well as in Germany and other European countries.