Used clothing containers in Pettendorf are threatened with withdrawal: littering is increasing!

Used clothing containers in Pettendorf are threatened with withdrawal: littering is increasing!

The city of Pettendorf is planning to remove the used clothing containers from the PettenDorfladen. The reason for this decision is the ongoing littering around the containers. What is particularly noticeable is the frequent disposal of residual waste, including food, in these containers. The expectations that citizens would take old clothes with them when the containers were full were apparently not met. Instead, there is unauthorized dumping of clothing and waste outside the containers, which can be punished as an environmental crime. If the poor condition of the containers continues to deteriorate, the city will remove them. In the future, the disposal of old clothes will only be possible at the Kneiting recycling center, according to PettenDorf.

With the reorganization of used textile disposal, the legal framework is also changing. A new EU directive has been in force since 2025, which stipulates that textiles, including soiled or broken clothing, must be disposed of in used clothing containers. This rule is causing confusion among consumers and concern among nonprofit organizations. The EU directive does not differentiate between wearable and damaged clothing. The Hamburg consumer advice center therefore recommends that heavily soiled textiles that are no longer wearable be disposed of in residual waste in order to counteract the increasing burden on recycling centers, as NDR reports.

Challenges of old clothing disposal

The new regulation comes with major challenges. The recycling process of textile fibers is complex and expensive; Only 1% of new clothing comes from old textiles. Non-profit organizations therefore ask that only usable old clothing be deposited in the containers. At the same time, municipal waste disposal companies point out that damaged clothing does not belong in used clothing containers, but should be disposed of with residual waste. Currently, less than half of all old clothes in the EU are collected for recycling or reuse. The trend towards fast fashion is particularly problematic, as it leads to increasing amounts of used clothing every year. On average, Europeans buy almost 26 kg of textiles and dispose of 11 kg of them, as NDR reports.

To address the problem of textile waste production, the EU has introduced new regulations that set binding targets for reducing textile waste. In the future, manufacturers will have to bear the costs of collection, sorting and recycling. More efficient disposal of unsold food is also encouraged. By 2030, EU member states should take measures to reduce food waste by 30% per capita. In addition, countries must implement the new systems into national law within 20 months, as required by the European Parliament.