Locations for Textile Waste Disposal
sweden
The textile waste collection in Sweden is mainly implemented in cooperation with charity organisations collecting textiles for reuse. Household waste is currently the responsibility of the municipality and other actors are only allowed to handle the waste if it is done on behalf of the municipality. The majority of collection is carried out with bring banks placed in streets, recycling stations, shopping centres, and civic amenity centres. Some charitable and private collectors make it clear on their bring-banks that they only wish to receive clean and reusable textiles, but many charities collect both reuse and recycling volumes and have permissions needed to handle waste. Textiles suitable for reuse should primarily be taken to such locations, second-hand shops, or other reuse facilities, rather than being handled by municipal waste services.
What happens to textiles after disposing them in the collections bins? In January 2025, two coarse sorting facilities opened in Sweden, which sort out rubbish and the textile waste suitable for recycling from the separately collected textile waste. The remaining collected textile waste is exported for further sorting, primarily to the Baltic States or Central Europe, where the material can be sorted into up to 300 different fractions for different markets in Europe or globally.
While a centralized national map for textile collection points is not currently available, nearby drop-off locations can be located through:
- Contacting the Municipality: Local authorities can provide information on designated collection sites in your area.
- Looking for information from Charity Organizations: Many collaborate with municipalities to offer collection containers in public spaces.
- Visiting Recycling Centres: These facilities often have designated areas for textile donations.