Many local administrations in Romania risk fines from oversight authorities due to their inability to establish a functional system for collecting and reusing textile waste—from consumers to the stage where it becomes a resource. This is the conclusion of the analysis “X-ray of Textile Waste Management in Romania,” conducted by the Recycling Map (Harta Reciclării) program of the Viitor Plus association, in collaboration with Ecoteca. The study is part of the “Mountain of Clothes” awareness campaign supported by ING Bank Romania.

Separate collection of textile waste became mandatory in Romania on January 1, 2025. More than a year after municipalities were required to implement a system covering the entire chain—from consumers to recyclers—the system works in some localities but is almost or entirely absent in many other cities across the country.

The nationwide analysis by Viitor Plus and Ecoteca shows that while collection infrastructure has been introduced in most cities, what happens to clothing afterward—sorting, preparation for reuse, recycling, incineration, or landfilling—remains largely opaque and often depends on isolated initiatives or partnerships with NGOs. According to industry estimates, only 6–8% of collected textiles are actually reused or recycled, while the rest are incinerated or sent to landfill.

Collection Exists, but the System Remains Fragile

Ecoteca gathered the data through a questionnaire sent to local authorities across Romania. Only 32 local administrations responded, but the results indicate that 87.5% of respondents have implemented a formal system for separate textile collection. However, infrastructure and performance vary significantly from city to city.

In the first 10 months of 2025, responding administrative units reported 2,190 tonnes of textile waste collected separately. Participation from residents, however, appears to be low. On average, only 0.25 kilograms of textiles were collected per capita.

These figures represent only part of the national picture. Many cities that did not provide data either have not implemented textile collection infrastructure, have very few collection points serving tens or hundreds of thousands of residents, or run only one or two short collection campaigns per year.

“The first steps in textile waste management have been taken, but this is only the beginning,” said Mihail Tănase, communications consultant for Recycling Map. “A fully functional system requires the involvement of all actors—consumers, producers, textile retailers, collection, sorting and recycling companies, local authorities and lawmakers. If we truly want to reduce the ‘Mountain of Clothes,’ we must develop the entire chain, from prevention and reuse to recycling.”

“The issue of textile waste is extremely complex, and solutions for collection and recovery are still limited,” added Alexandra Maier Ranetti, Sustainability Manager at ING Bank Romania. “That is why initiatives like the Mountain of Clothes campaign are so important. In ING, we see the circular economy as a key solution complementing efforts to address climate change and the energy transition. We support financing in this direction, but we are also aware of the impact each of us can have—by extending the life of textiles, restoring their usefulness, and directing them responsibly when we no longer need them.”

Systemic Barriers Persist

The report highlights several systemic barriers that limit the system’s effectiveness. These include:

• Lack of traceability for textile waste after collection
• Limited sorting and recycling solutions
• Widespread contamination of collected textiles
• Absence of an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme for textiles, which would require the fashion industry to contribute financially to waste management.

To provide an overview, the study’s webpage includes an interactive map of all county capital cities, showing how textile waste is managed locally, alternatives for donation and reuse, and links to collection points listed on the Recycling Map.

Oradea and Sibiu: Examples of Good Practice

Oradea has one of the most developed systems for textile collection and recovery in Romania. The city has an extensive infrastructure with 110 street container locations and two voluntary drop-off centers, allowing better traceability and sorting before disposal.

The municipality has delegated the service both to a non-profit organization, which collects clothes for donation, and to a private operator with sorting infrastructure for reuse and recycling. Of the textiles collected in Oradea:

• 28% are reused through donations or second-hand markets
• 16.5% are materially recycled (fibers or industrial cleaning cloths)
• 11.5% are used for energy recovery (incineration)
• The remainder are landfilled after sorting.

Sibiu has 27 textile collection points with 40 containers, operated in partnership with the Caritas association. According to local authorities, around 70% of the collected clothes are reused.

In Buzău, 99 textile containers have been installed next to existing waste collection platforms, in partnership with a private operator. Collected clothes are resold as second-hand products, turned into industrial cloths, or used for energy recovery when they cannot be reused.

Major Gaps in Other Cities

At the other end of the spectrum, Constanța has installed only one textile container for a population of nearly 250,000 people, while Bucharest’s Sector 1 does not collect textiles separately at all.

Some municipalities have installed containers, but the textiles collected end up incinerated or even landfilled without sorting. In Pitești, although the administration reported over 107 tonnes of collected textiles, all of them are sent for energy recovery through incineration. In Suceava, collected textiles are transported directly to the municipal landfill due to the lack of recycling infrastructure.

A Campaign to Reduce Textile Waste

The X-ray of Textile Waste Management in Romania report is part of the “Mountain of Clothes” campaign created by the Recycling Map program with the support of ING Romania. The campaign aims to highlight the large volume of textile waste generated each year and promote practical solutions anyone can adopt to reduce it, including:

• Reusing and repairing clothes
• Upcycling and reinventing textiles
• Donating garments
• Separately collecting textile waste
• Adopting more responsible purchasing habits.