Old dresses
Significantly more textile waste in Germany
A lot of clothing ends up in the trash in Germany. New rules for disposal have been in effect since January 1st.
People in Germany produce significantly more garbage with clothing and textiles than ten years earlier. Around 175,000 tons of clothing and textile waste were collected by private households in Germany in 2023, as the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reports according to preliminary results. That means an increase of 55 percent compared to 2013. Destatis did not yet provide any information. Most clothing and textile waste of the past ten years were caused by around 187,000 tons in the Corona year 2020.
Alt dresses and textiles are no longer in the residual waste
About two kilograms of textile waste were produced per capita in 2023. EU comparison figures are available for 2022. According to this, Germany was on the EU in the year.
Since January 1, 2025, textiles have had to be disposed of by the rest of the garbage according to a new EU directive. Accordingly, old clothes and used textiles must no longer be thrown into residual waste.
dpa
Source: Stern
