Clean Recycle: Romania accelerates separate textile waste collection, but improvement is still needed

Romania has significantly increased its separate collection of textile waste over the past decade, rising from just 48 tons in 2010 to 2,774 tons in 2022, according to data analyzed by Clean Recycle. Despite the progress, the country still collects only about 15% of the roughly 250,000 tons of textile waste it generates each year.

Separate textile collection became mandatory in Romania on January 1, 2025, in line with EU rules, placing responsibility on local authorities to provide dedicated infrastructure.

Currently, Romania has nine authorized facilities for textile collection and processing, located in key regions: Vâlcea, Botoșani, Bistrița-Năsăud, Mureș, Bacău, Bihor, and Galați. These facilities allow textile waste to be transformed into yarn, fabric pieces, or materials for energy recovery, helping reduce environmental impact and creating new resources, according to the Clean Recycle analysis.

This is important, as textile waste poses a long-term environmental threat, with materials like polyester taking more than 200 years to break down and releasing harmful microfibers, the same source said.

“Romania has made visible progress in recent years, but we are only at the beginning of a complex process that requires time, investment, and collaboration between authorities, operators, and the population. For textile recycling to become a reality, we need dedicated infrastructure, ongoing information campaigns, and the involvement of every citizen. Only then can we transform separate collection from a legal obligation into a daily habit,” said Cosmin Monda, Founder and CEO of Clean Recycle.

Across Europe, textile consumption generates CO2 emissions comparable to driving 1,800 kilometers in a gasoline car per person each year, and up to 9% of new textile products are destroyed before ever being used.

(Photo source: Andriana Syvanych/Dreamstime.com)