Overview

• Overfilled clothing donation bins have prompted residents across Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein to leave textiles and other waste alongside containers.
• Insolvency of a major recycler and collapsed export markets have deprived charitable collectors of revenue, escalating disposal costs for damaged or low-value garments.
• Municipalities are responding by shortening emptying intervals, shuttering repeat problem sites and assuming responsibility for residual waste to relieve nonprofit operators.
• Privately managed collection points face more neglect and plundering, whereas Norderstedt’s self-run system reports no complaints and smoother operations.
• Ongoing public confusion about what qualifies as reusable donations continues to contaminate loads, underscoring the need for clearer disposal guidelines ahead of EU producer responsibility reforms.