Locations for Textile Waste Disposal

finland

In Finland, the used textile collection is still dominated by charities (e.g. UFF) and the majority of collection is carried out by bring banks. 

End-of-life textile items get collected in collection bins in various locations by the municipal waste management companies. Charities, like UFF, have also started to accept end-of-life textiles in their collection bins since 2023. Residents are advised to ensure these textiles are clean, dry, and free from mold before depositing them, typically packed securely in plastic bags to maintain their condition during transport.

The locations of all collection bins (for end-of-life textiles and reusable textiles) can be found here.  

The textiles get pre-sorted in the municipalities and then get transported to Turku for sorting. Luonais-Suomen Jätehuolto (LSJH) is coordinating the national waste’s management network’s end-of-life textile collection and selling of end-of-life textile raw materials to companies using it. Rester Oy collaborates with LSJH to convert textile waste into high-quality raw materials in specialized facilities, like the one in Paimio.  

FURTHER resources:

○ HSY sorting instructions
○ VTT Research Report “Telaketju – Business from Circularity of Textiles”
○ Finnish Textile Recycling
○ UFF clothing collection service
○ Article: Rester Oy buys LSJH’s pilot line for end-of-life textile fibre opening