The anticipated disposition of the accumulated assets
In the heart of Germany, the city of Bremen is grappling with a growing crisis in used clothes collection, a problem that is particularly pronounced in rural areas. The influx of cheap, low-quality clothing from fast-fashion chains, predominantly from China, is flooding the market, making its way into used clothes containers and overwhelming collection systems.
The city's cleaning service, responsible for emptying used clothes containers, took over Soex, a company that had previously handled this task, from May this year. However, the service has since removed twenty to twenty-five of the total 330 containers due to the financial strain of old clothes collection. The new service provider, IZ Circular Textiles GmbH, based in Berlin, is working to collect the accumulated clothes and ensure regular emptying in Bremen in the long term.
The situation is causing concern for Thomas Ahlmann of "FairWertung," who notes that the influx of cheap new items is hurting the second-hand clothing market. Ahlmann predicts that partnerships between charitable collectors and communities could also be at risk due to the financial strain of old clothes collection.
Bremen currently supports used clothes collection and reuse through regular flea markets and specialized events, such as women’s fashion flea markets. However, there is no evidence of a city-wide curbside or door-to-door used clothing collection program in the most recent official resources.
To address this issue, there is potential for Bremen to expand its used clothes collection infrastructure. This could involve introducing more frequent collection events, permanent donation bins, or partnerships with NGOs and private enterprises. Increasing awareness about the environmental impact of fast fashion and the benefits of clothing reuse could drive higher participation. Linking used clothes collections with broader recycling initiatives could also streamline logistics and improve convenience for residents.
However, cities like Bremen face significant challenges in managing used clothes collection. Overconsumption and fast fashion lead to high volumes of discarded clothing, overwhelming collection and recycling systems. Infrastructure and processing capacity are often lacking, resulting in a significant portion of used textiles being incinerated or landfilled rather than reused or recycled. Quality and contamination issues, such as lower-quality garments unsuitable for resale, complicate efforts to sustain viable secondhand markets. Market saturation, caused by the influx of cheap, new clothes, makes it difficult for collection programs to remain economically sustainable. Changing consumer habits toward sustainability is slow, with many people still preferring new over secondhand items.
Despite these challenges, Bremen's cleaning service remains hopeful that the situation with the new service provider will stabilise. However, they are cautious about putting removed containers back up due to the risk of illegal hotspots for littering developing quickly. Ahlmann suggests that cities and communities may have to introduce a small fee for old clothes collection to prevent partnerships like the one between Bremen's public cleaning service and IZ Circular Textiles from breaking down.
Charitable and humanitarian collectors like the Inner Mission, the German Red Cross, or Caritas play a significant role in independently collecting old clothes in Bremen. Overconsumption in society is leading to increased disposal of clothing by Bremen residents. The contract between the city's cleaning service and IZ Circular Textiles GmbH runs until the year 2028. A Bremen resident is reporting illegal dump sites to the public cleaning service, while Soex, the previous service provider, only emptied many used clothes containers rarely or not at all after its insolvency in October 2024.
Tackling the challenges posed by fast fashion and overconsumption requires coordinated efforts from local governments, businesses, and residents to shift both supply and demand toward more sustainable fashion practices. Bremen, like many cities, must invest in better collection and processing infrastructure and foster a culture of reuse over disposal to ensure a sustainable future for used clothes collection.
Radio Bremen residents might find interest in home-and-garden shows that promote upcycling and recycling old clothes as innovative lifestyle solutions, especially given the current challenges in used clothes collection. In light of the financial strain faced by the city's cleaning service and the potential for increased dumping at illegal sites, local organizations like Radio Bremen could collaborate with NGOs and home-and-garden experts to promote clothing reuse within their lifestyle programming.
