Textile waste in Austria: occurrence, origin & recycling

A new study by the Federal Environment Agency shows: “In 2018, a total of 221.834 tons of textile waste was generated. Of this, 77% was burned and converted into energy, 10% was used for second-hand needs and 7% was recycled. Very little textile waste (6%) ends up in landfills or is incinerated abroad without generating energy.” In Austria, more than four kilos of old clothes, old shoes, house and home textiles per person end up in the old clothing collection every year.

Further results for the reference year 2018:

• 97% of textile waste in Austria is created after consumption, i.e. it comes from individuals, from households or from companies. 
• About 3% is production waste. 
• In 2018, around 88.000 tons of textile waste were disposed of as residual waste. 
• The majority of textile waste in Austria (around 77%) is not pure textile waste, but part of mixed waste, above all residual and bulky waste or waste from the medical sector. 
• Only about 23% of the national textile waste consists mainly of used clothes, scraps of fabric and fabric and is not mixed with other materials.

“The most important measure to reduce textile waste is to use textiles and textile products as long and efficiently as possible. This requires solutions that start with intelligent design, strengthen circular production and sustainable consumption," says the Federal Environment Agency's broadcast.

Header photo by pinho . on Unsplash