When faced with old clothes, people often feel that "it's tasteless to eat, but a pity to throw them away."
The old clothes at the bottom of the box are piling up more and more. The virtual pleasure of family members competing to find the ideal clothes is becoming less and less efficient.
Let's see how Germany turns waste clothes into gold~
The Germans, who are very environmentally friendly, have implemented a very strict waste classification system, and there are separate recycling bins for old clothes. On the streets, you can sometimes see some iron boxes that are more than one meter tall, with the names and phone numbers of used textile recycling companies printed on them. These are clothing recycling boxes. When you find that the iron box is full, you can call the number on the iron box to inform the company, and the company will send someone to take the clothes away.
In the past, residents would drive to distant waste stations to throw away these old clothes, and they had to pay a certain amount of garbage disposal fees to the waste stations, and sometimes they had to wait in line for half a day. In comparison, these free recycling bins are located in various residential areas and recycle clothes for free, bringing great convenience to nearby residents.
Is it illegal to take clothes from the recycling bin?
Although these recycling bins come in a variety of colors, their structures are similar: the opening of the iron box is located directly at the top of the box. To put items into the iron box, you must first pull down the upper handle, stuff the items into a basket, and then push up the handle. The clothes will fall into the iron box from the bottom of the basket due to gravity. This clever design is to prevent someone from taking clothes out of the box.
In Germany, taking clothes from recycling bins without permission is not only unethical, but also illegal. German law stipulates that all items in old clothing recycling bins belong to the operator. Regardless of the purpose, you need to obtain the operator's consent before using the items in the box. Taking clothes out of the box without permission is considered theft.
Where do recycled clothing go?
Recycling bins of different colors represent different used clothing recycling companies. Most of these companies are profit-making enterprises, with only a few charities, and their methods of handling recycled clothing are also different.
Some companies only sort and pack the recycled clothes and then resell them to other companies. Some companies sort, label and sell the recycled clothes, which brings huge profits. Currently, there are shops selling second-hand clothes in every city in Germany.
In addition, some environmentally friendly clothing brands are also actively advocating the recycling of used clothes. They wash and sort old clothes, split them into tiny fibers, and then use these fibers to re-spin cloth to make their own new products. This is also a very professional way to recycle clothes.
(This article is reproduced from Deutsche Welle)
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