Sweden drowns in discarded fast fashion items

Sweden's recycling centres are overflowing with clothes after an EU-wide ban this year on throwing away textiles, leaving overwhelmed municipalities eager to have fast fashion giants take responsibility. Since the beginning of this year, EU countries must have separate textile recycling, alongside existing processes for glass, paper and food waste.

The aim is to promote circular waste management, where textiles are sorted and reused, or recycled if they are not too damaged. Swedes throw away 90,000 tonnes of textiles per year, or 10 kilogrammes per person, according to the Swedish Society for the Conservation of Nature.