Textile Recycling at Risk: Removal of German Collection Containers Could Lead to Severe Consequences

The bvse (German Federal Association for Secondary Raw Materials and Waste Disposal) warns that the gradual removal of municipal textile waste collection containers from public spaces could have unforeseeable consequences for the circular economy. The city of Oberhausen serves as a prime example of a process that threatens EU textile recycling targets and drastically impairs the efficiency of textile waste collection.

Oberhausen’s Decision: Dismantling a Proven System

The city of Oberhausen recently made a highly controversial decision: just days before the expiration of a previously extended bidding deadline, it canceled its pan-European public procurement procedure for the collection and recycling of textile waste. Under this resolution, the city administration will gradually withdraw municipal clothing collection containers from public spaces starting August 1st. According to the textile recycling division of the bvse, this move is a highly alarming warning signal. Existing collection infrastructures in the sector are already under immense pressure, and the dismantling of municipal container collection points further exacerbates this situation, carrying significant negative consequences for the separate collection of used textiles and the recycling sector as a whole.

Numbers and Facts: Door-to-Door Collection is No Alternative

By canceling the tender, Oberhausen is abandoning a proven, highly efficient collection system which, according to the official procurement documentation, is capable of collecting between 600 and 750 tons of textile waste annually from roughly 30 different container stations. In contrast, the parallel door-to-door collection system offered by the city as an alternative is estimated to yield a mere 50 to 150 tons of material per year.

Marwin Gedenk, Chairman of the bvse Textile Recycling Division, emphasized that door-to-door collection cannot adequately replace the container network in terms of either volume or economic viability. He further stated that dismantling the containers results in the loss of valuable textile waste volumes, which not only hinders the textile industry’s recycling processes but also directly threatens the achievement of European circular economy strategic goals. Consequently, Oberhausen must not set a precedent for other municipalities.

Transparency Concerns: What Will Happen to the Collected Textiles?

The decision in Oberhausen also raises serious questions regarding the fate of the textiles collected in the future. The withdrawn public procurement tender explicitly and jointly included both collection and recycling obligations. For the bvse division, it remains unclear how the processing of the remaining collected materials will be handled in the future, who will take on this critical task, and how high-quality, sustainable recycling can be ensured in the long term.

The association’s chairman stressed that if the previously transparently mandated recycling services are removed from the system, municipalities must clearly outline their future high-quality processing routes. The fundamental principle of the circular economy demands full traceability from waste to new product.

European Regulations and the Indispensability of Containers

The legislative background makes this issue particularly timely, as the mandatory separate collection of textile waste came into force on January 1, 2025. Collection centers and public container systems are considered the most vital pillars of textile collection. Reducing the number of freely accessible containers will inevitably lead to clothing ending up in residual municipal mixed waste.

While a certain volume can be salvaged through recycling yards and charitable organizations, Gedenk argues that these channels are completely incapable of replacing the lost street-level capacities. The utilization rate of the currently available bins is already exceptionally high. Therefore, instead of dismantling the systems, the bvse advocates for more intensive management of the sites, more frequent emptying, and the consistent removal of illegally dumped waste next to the bins. Overflowing containers do not indicate the failure of the collection system; on the contrary, they show that public demand significantly exceeds current capacity.

The Danger of a Domino Effect and Overloaded Capacities

The professional association also warns of a looming domino effect. If municipalities begin removing their collection containers en masse, it will place immense additional pressure on the remaining commercial and charitable collection networks. These alternative systems could soon reach the absolute limits of their physical and logistical capacities, which in the long run could lead to further collection points becoming unsustainable and shutting down. This would critically weaken the collection, sorting, and recycling infrastructure.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and the bvse’s Demands

The situation is made especially concerning by the EU’s future targets for separate textile collection, as well as the planned introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). With the launch of EPR, the existence of high-performance, robust collection systems will become more important than ever. The bvse finds it highly contradictory that while higher collection and recycling quotas are expected, the existing, functioning infrastructure is being systematically dismantled.

In conclusion, the bvse strongly urges municipalities and political decision-makers to preserve the container systems. They demand targeted financial support and insist that the role of these networks be explicitly taken into account when designing the EPR system. Door-to-door collection is significantly more expensive per collected ton due to substantially higher personnel, vehicle, and administrative costs. Those who reduce capacity today will face higher costs and a significant decline in textile recycling tomorrow.

References and Official Sources:

• Original Source Article (bvse): bvse warnt vor Abbau von Alttextilcontainern

• Government Background Information (German Environment Agency – UBA): Information on mandatory separate textile waste collection from 2025