Overview
- At Verden’s Hohe Leuchte car park, two clothing containers were removed and authorities and the landowner plan to clear a persistent mound of dumped textiles and rubbish.
- County official Henning Koröde said the remaining containers’ operator could not be reached, indicating the firm may no longer exist.
- When operators cannot be identified, the landowner must clear the site and bear costs estimated at €500–700, with fines possible for illegal dumping.
- Confusion since January over the EU separate-collection rule has driven unusable and contaminated textiles into donation bins, increasing sorting and disposal costs for groups like Aktion Hoffnung.
- With used-clothing resale values falling, commercial collectors and the Red Cross have removed or relocated bins in multiple regions, and some operators are shifting containers to more visible sites to deter misuse.