Europeans throw away 7 million tonnes of clothes a year: here are countries leading textile recycling

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🗞️ Driving the news: Europeans discard nearly 7 million tonnes of clothes annually, with Czechia pioneering compulsory textile recycling from 2025 to combat the waste problem

🔭 The context: Czechia currently discards 180,000 tonnes of textiles annually, with minimal recycling
• The new initiative aims to establish more collection points and enforce textile waste collection, aligning with European waste management directives

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Mandatory textile recycling can significantly reduce landfill waste and environmental pollution, promoting sustainable waste management practices across Europe

⏭️ What's next: The strategy includes creating accessible collection points in municipalities to enhance recycling efficiency, following the example of successful waste collection systems in countries like Luxembourg and Belgium

💬 One quote: “The goal is to ensure more textiles are recycled and increase the efficiency of recycling efforts.” – Petr Hladík, Czech Minister of the Environment

📈 One stat: EU countries generated an estimated 6.95 million tonnes of textile waste in 2020, around 16kg per person

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