When faced with old clothes, people often feel that "it's tasteless to eat, but a pity to throw them away."
The old clothes piled up at the bottom of the closet 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~
Environmentally conscious Germans have a rigorous waste sorting system, including separate recycling bins for used clothing. On the streets, you'll occasionally see metal boxes, each more than a meter tall, with the name and phone number of a used textile recycling company printed on them. These are clothing recycling bins. If a bin is full, call the company on the box to notify them, and they'll send someone to collect the clothing.
In the past, residents would drive to distant waste stations to throw away their old clothes, paying a certain amount of garbage disposal fees to the waste stations and sometimes having to wait in line for half a day. In contrast, these free recycling bins are distributed in various residential areas and can recycle clothes for free, bringing great convenience to nearby residents.
Is it illegal to take clothes from recycling bins?
Although these recycling bins come in a variety of colors, their structure is similar: the opening is located at the top of the box. To put items into the box, you must first pull down the top handle, put the items into a basket, and then push the handle up. The clothes will fall from the bottom of the basket into the iron box due to gravity. This clever design is to prevent people from taking clothes out of the box.
In Germany, taking clothing from recycling bins without permission is not only unethical but also illegal. German law stipulates that all items in recycling bins belong to the operator. Regardless of the purpose, permission from the operator is required before using the bin. Removing clothing from a bin without permission is considered theft.
Where do recycled clothes go?
Recycling bins of different colors represent different old 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 recycled clothing, then resell it to other companies. Others organize and label the recycled clothing and sell it, which is a huge profit. Currently, there are stores selling second-hand clothing 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 small fibers, and then use these fibers to re-spin cloth and make their own new products. This is also a very professional way to recycle clothes.
(This article is reprinted from Deutsche Welle)
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