Textile collection suspended. Problems are growing in municipalities and cities.

• Selective collection of textile waste is valid until January 1, 2025.
• From the very beginning, municipalities have struggled to organize the collection of such waste.
• In many towns, clothing waste containers are being removed from the streets.

"We would like to kindly inform you that due to technical reasons, the containers for used clothes and textiles manufactured by TESSO from Pruszcz Gdański and located in the Chojnice Commune at each primary school and community center will be closed for the next 3 months," the Chojnice local government informs residents.

Chojnice is another commune having problems with the collection of textiles, which from January 1 must be collected separately and cannot be placed in mixed waste containers.

In Chojnice, as in many Polish local governments, companies and foundations that previously collected used clothing are withdrawing from this activity, unable to cope with either the quantity or the low quality of the donated items.

Residents who are prohibited from throwing damaged textiles into black bins are instead throwing them into clothing collection containers - this not only creates more work for the collectors, but also forces them to pay for returning the non-reusable clothing to the installation.

The problem is even greater because the introduction of the textile sorting requirement has led to significant collection fee increases for waste collection facilities . As a result, operating these containers has become unprofitable for companies and foundations. We previously reported on the Local Government Portal that the Polish Red Cross is removing its clothing containers.

In Chojnice, Tesso has also suspended collection. The municipality asks that clothing and textiles not be left at the container, adding that clothing left at or within the container will not be collected.

A temporary solution is to organize collections organized by the city of Chojnice. The next one will take place next month. In June, a similar event collected 4 tons of clothing. Now, the frequency of collections is planned to increase – instead of quarterly, collections will take place every two months, reports Chojnice24.pl.

The municipality also assures that the change in the collection system will not result in an increase in waste fees for residents.

- A one-time collection costs approximately PLN 5,500 and is within the framework of the current waste management system - assured Deputy Mayor Adam Kopczyński, in Chojnice24.pl.

The city is also considering the possibility of collecting textiles directly from residents or by installing additional containers for textiles. However, Kopczyński admits that this solution is logistically and costly and could necessitate an increase in waste collection fees.