Consequences of the EU’s Waste Directive

Question for written answer E-002217/2025 to the Commission Rule 144 Beatrice Timgren (ECR) Subject: Consequences of the EU’s Waste Directive Under Directive (EU) 2018/851, Member States are required to set up separate collections for textiles. The aim is to promote a more circular way of managing textile waste. In Sweden, the implementation of this requirement has already resulted in second-hand organisations being inundated with textiles. This is a problem because they do not have the storage space or the resources to deal with the volumes concerned. The organisations are warning that they are now receiving large quantities of clothes that are damaged or unusable. 1 Thanks to EU rules, shops are now forced to spend time and money on sorting large quantities of textiles and sending them for recycling. At the same time, local councils are warning that the textiles containers at recycling points are full to bursting. One council has now been forced to remove the containers because the collection firm cannot cope with the volumes. 2 In view of the above: 1. What guidance are the Member States given on dealing with the practical challenges arising from municipal infrastructure being overwhelmed as a result of the Waste Directive? 2. Has the Commission assessed the risk of second-hand organisations being overwhelmed with products that they cannot sell on, which is pushing costs up? 3. What steps is the Commission taking to ward off the risk of second-hand...