Due to the changed regulations for the disposal of old clothes, the remaining containers in the city area are usually full. Other clothing intended for disposal is then often simply dumped in front of the collection containers. The municipal public order office would like to point out that this behavior constitutes illegal waste dumping, which can be punished with a fine.
The EU directive on the "separate collection of textiles" has been in force in Germany since January 1, 2025. This means that textiles may no longer be disposed of in residual waste, but should be collected in used clothing containers. However, soiled or torn clothing, oily rags or other soiled textiles still belong in the residual waste garbage can and not in a used clothing container. The aim of the new regulation was actually to increase the recycling rate and prevent textiles from being incinerated.
Initially, a lot of false information about the changed regulations was spread in the media, which led to uncertainty among consumers. At the same time, however, there were also warnings of a collapse of the previous system, which unfortunately proved to be true. Charitable organizations in particular have dismantled their containers, resulting in a sharp decline in the number of collection points in the city. This double problem - higher quantities of used clothing with fewer containers - is leading to an overload of the remaining collection containers with the consequences described above.
The municipal public order office therefore appeals to citizens not to leave any more bags at the collection points when the used clothing containers are full. On the one hand, this constitutes illegal waste disposal, and on the other hand, the clothing often becomes soiled or soaked. It can then no longer be reused as used textiles and in some cases cannot even be recycled. In other words, exactly the opposite of what the new regulation was actually intended to achieve.