225 percent more thrown clothing. “Not only the number has increased, but also worsened the quality of the clothes given away”

PSZOK-I in Warsaw have already collected 225 percent More clothing and textiles than in the whole of 2024 – the office of the Capital City of Warsaw informed PAP. Warsaw. Tomasz Bocian from clothes to devotion emphasized that since the entry into force of the new regulations regarding segregation not only increased the number of clothes given away, but they are of inferior quality.

In January 2025, new regulations regarding the segregation of textile waste entered into force – clothes can no longer be thrown into the mixed garbage container, only should be referred to selective waste collection points (PSZOK).

Another alternative was containers for the clothes of the Polish Red Cross (PCK), but in July this year. The organization informed about the limitation of its activities related to the collection of clothes – the reason was the deterioration of the quality of clothing collected for containers and a significant increase in the costs of its utilization. The Wtórpol company, which was responsible for the logistics and sale of collected textiles, terminated the Polish Red Cross agreement.

Another company that temporarily suspended taking clothes because of the new regulations is a start-up of clothes to give away. Founded by Tomasz Bocian and Zofia Zochniak, the organization deals with responsible and transparent sale of clothes in the second circulation. In May, they decided to suspend the admission of parcels with clothes.

– Since the introduction of the new regulations, the number of packages transmitted to us twice and at the same time the quality of clothes has deteriorated significantly. Previously destroyed clothes accounted for about 15 percent, and after the introduction of new regulations – 35 percent. Our sorting plant has achieved maximum operational occupancy, and we must change the way our portal has been operating so far – explained the stork in an interview with PAP.

He emphasized that, apart from the two main problems with the Polish clothing market – that is, the regulations and war in Ukraine, which closed a very large Ukrainian market for exporting used textiles – we are dealing with significantly reduced interest of the use of used clothing market by consumers.

He explained that holidays are often a worse period on the clothing market, both in the first and second circulation, while this season you can feel a much greater decrease in consumers than in previous, analogous periods. – This vacation has been the worst for seven years, since we are operating on this market – said Tomasz Bocian.

He added that although unfortunately there are no research describing the causes of such poor results of the used clothing market, several conclusions can be drawn on the basis of observation. First of all, in his opinion, the so -called The second-hand customer is still mainly a budget customer. The low price is, along with ecological reasons, the most common reason for purchasing in the second circulation. With a huge increase in the popularity of Ultra Fast -Fashion brands – the express production of clothing – the prices of new clothes can be equal to the used ones.

– You do not have to reach far, to Chinese brands like this or Shein – even on our Polish market, the Gigant LPP giant bases its strategy on the development of the cheapest Sinsay brand. And from a business point of view, I understand the decisions about the aggressive expansion of these stores, but this also significantly hits the secondary market, where there is nothing to hide, it is not going well now – he explained.

When asked about the issue of market monitoring of used clothes, the stork confirmed that there are no consolidated data showing what is happening with clothes when there is a lack of space in the closet. There is no monitoring that I would include both a legal and illegal zone in Poland and Europe. Each road must be traced separately – if possible.

It is known that some clothes are sold by portals such as Allegro, OLX or Vinted, thanks to which they get a second life immediately and remain in circulation. The condition here is a good condition of clothing, a sufficiently low price and a good brand, which is becoming harder and harder for ultra fast-fascion clothes. This is the way for clothing in the best condition.

Some clothes, in accordance with applicable regulations, are referred to PSZOKs. Press Department of the Capital City of Warsaw Warsaw told PAP that from January 2025 an increase in the amount of waste donated to Warsaw PSZOKs was noticed compared to last year – the largest was recorded in the case of clothing and textile waste. As the office emphasized, about 225 percent have already been collected. More clothing and textiles than in all of 2024.

Gathered from January to the end of June this year. Clothing and textiles accounted for about 7.63 percent all collected municipal waste during this period in Warsaw's PSZOKs. The mass of all collected waste in PSZOK in the first half of this year. It is 3492.12 mg, of which the mass of clothing and textiles is 266.5112 mg – donated.

To the question of whether queues are formed before Warsaw's Pszoki (including Trojmiasto.pl in April, he described the queue at 1-1.5h before one of two points in Gdańsk), the press department replied that despite the noticeably larger number of inhabitants visiting Pszok-I in 2025, there was no complaints regarding the office of several hours of waiting for the entrance to the points. “In Warsaw's PSZOKs there are queues to enter, but they are quickly” unloaded “by employees,” they were reported. As the office added, the new contracts for running PSZOK included requirements for increasing the number of employees serving points and extended the opening hours of PSZOKs.

However, even in Pszoki, clothes are much less likely to be recycled, and more often to the oven – according to the findings of Dziennik Gazeta Prawna from March this year. The collected clothes in the crushing majority end in incineration plants. These findings are confirmed by Tomasz Bocian, who pointed out that municipalities often have no control over what is happening in Pszoki with textiles.

– Apart from the fact that it is often very difficult to deliver waste to Pszok, because you have to travel a dozen or so kilometers, the commune does not monitor what PSZOK does with these clothes. This is the first thing that needs to be changed – these clothes should be sorted and checked before burning, otherwise there will be no second circulation – he explained.

In addition to PSZOKs and PCK containers, many housing estates also contain other containers for clothes, colorful, with the logo of various foundations – often set illegally, with an impossible owner to determine, covered with unsupported weeks with clothing sacks. Clothes from such rebounds hit, among others To the so -called A gray zone in which it is not entirely clear what happens to them – except that they can sometimes be found in a rural fireplace or West Pomeranian forest. You can hear about such situations mainly when a single event attracts the attention of the media, as in the case of March action in the Pładnica Forest District, when – as described by the Forest District on Facebook – a large amount of used clothing packed in Big Bag bags was taken to the forest, which most likely came from the so -called Second-Hand trading.

Some clothes go to legal foundations or organizations working with foundations, such as the already mentioned clothes to be given or to shelters for people, including in the crisis of homelessness. Although, according to Małgorzata Chmielewska's sister, founder and president of the “Houses of the Bread of Life Community” Foundation, clothes are too big euphemism for what goes to her houses.

– Since the introduction of new regulations, not so much the amount of clothing capable of use left under our homes, as rags – described in an interview with PAP. – And this is a huge problem for us, because someone has to change and sort it, and then pay for the container. And these are thousands of zlotys – she emphasized.

As Chmielewska pointed out, good quality clothes and thoughtful gifts are very much needed, but leaving a scattered loose, fatal quality of clothing is a bigger problem than good.

– People get rid of such clothes, because who will go with a sack, or without a sack, to the other end of the city. And this is a very big problem, not only ours. Many charity organizations are treated as garbage cans with which there is nothing to do with – she emphasized.

However, not all clothes land on the streets and dumps in Poland – some are intended for export from the country. Legal export of used textiles from the European Union for 19 years has tripled – from 550 thousand. tons in 2000 to 1.7 million tonnes in 2019, according to the report “Export of used textiles from the EU in the economy with a circuit closed in Europe” published by the European Environment Agency in 2023. The main recipient of used clothing is found in Africa and Asia. According to the authors of the report, 40 percent go to dumps. textiles exported from the EU to Africa; This number failed to determine in the case of the Asian market. Up to the five largest exporters of used textiles in the EU, who are responsible for 80 percent. exports, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Italy and Lithuania include.

The Supreme Audit Office of the Supreme Audit Office in published in March this year informed about the fact that the Ministry of Climate and the Environment has not prepared an “effective and reliable system monitoring system”. information entitled “Defeat in waste management”. NIK negatively assessed the activities of public administration for the limitation of waste and recycling and assessed that rational waste management was limited. One of the municipalities was sent to Germany.

What should be changed then? After the entry into force of the new regulations, the Ministry of Climate and Environment has prepared the “Catalog of Good Practices”, in which it encourages municipalities to act: “Door-to-door” bags, i.e. displaying bags with clothes in front of the house, containers in urban spaces, “municipal re-butik” (points of replacement of used clothing) or cooperation with non-profit organizations and companies that convert text into new products- Unless they suspended their activities after the regulations came into force. It is not known how many municipalities implement these recommendations to solve the clothing problem.

Tomasz Bocian emphasized that above all we have very few installations for recycling and disposal of textiles in Poland.

– When it comes to the utilization of textiles, i.e. burning clothing, mainly to obtain alternative fuel, this is most often done in cement plants that use clothing as fuel for cement production. But due to the fact that there are so few installations and new regulations have entered, the cost of utilization of textiles will double during the year. And when it comes to recycling, companies that deal with recycling clothes in Poland can be counted on the fingers of one hand – he noted.

Piotr Szewczyk, president of the board of the RIPOK Council – the Association of Employers, who explained “DGP” in March, was a similar opinion that there was a lack of installation for processing textiles in Poland. “The effect is that a small part of the collected textiles is converted into a cleaner, and the crushing majority goes to the incineration plant. It is a dubious consolation that almost all of Europe has a similar problem,” he said.

Agata Gutowska (PAP)

AGG/ PAD/ LM/