It is estimated that in 2020 EU countries generated 6.95 million tonnes of textile waste, or roughly 16 kg per person per year. Many people have seen the mountains of old clothing that end up in vast landfill sites. The Czech Republic has become the leading country in Europe tackling this problem rather than adding to it.
Every year around 180,000 tonnes of textiles are thrown away in the Czech Republic, and only 3-4% of them end up in mixed waste containers. Some 39,000 t are sorted for recycling, while 75,000 t of non-recyclable contamination ends up in mixed waste bins.
The Czechs have a plan to overhaul current waste management practice. Last December the Ministry of the Environment announced plans to introduce mandatory collection of textile waste from 2025. At present, separate collection of textile waste is not compulsory, which means that a great deal of discarded clothing that could be reused or recycled ends up in landfill.