Luxembourg charity Kolping Lëtzebuerg has made a clear strategic shift in used clothing collection: this September, the organization will hold its 52nd street used clothing collection, while its container recycling business has already been exited.

Kolping has been known in Luxembourg for decades for used clothing collection, its name derived from German Catholic priest Adolph Kolping. Last December, the organization announced it would exit the container business by the end of January 2026, due to the collapse of the used clothing and textile market. Chairwoman Marie-Jeanne Brauch said: "The costs are too high, the container system is no longer worthwhile for us. But we must stick with street collection, it is right and important."

During the exit process, the association was not idle. Brauch revealed that during the transition period, all Kolping names on containers had to be covered, and completing all permits "took nearly three months" to ensure street collection could continue legally. The original container business was subsequently handed over to Co-Labor and Forum pour l'Emploi, the number of containers did not decrease noticeably, collection is still guaranteed by multiple social forces, and social integration employment continues to be used.

This year's national street collection is scheduled for September 18 (Friday) and 19 (Saturday), with Differdingen postponed to September 21. Residents can put clean, dry, still wearable clothing into bags, and may use bags other than the Kolping distribution bags, with multiple bags allowed per household. Collectible items include: shoes tied in pairs, tablecloths, bedding, household fabrics, clean underwear and socks, leather clothing, belts, and leather bags.

Kolping expects and hopes to still collect about 200 tons of used clothing and textiles this year. Since Luxembourg lacks the capacity for sorting and recycling on such a large scale locally, the association has had to seek recycling centers abroad that comply with all EU regulations; local used clothing sorting and processing has formed an independent economic branch, accompanied by employment and social welfare.

Proceeds from selling used clothing will flow back to public welfare projects supported by Kolping. Brauch said "a new school in Congo has just been completed, and we also support local public welfare organizations in Luxembourg," with some social projects also receiving state funding. She believes that point-based street collection is superior to the container system in terms of cleanliness: "People only put clean clothing in, it won't be contaminated by garbage others throw into containers," and textile quality and clothing condition are usually better.

But Brauch also admits the long-term direction remains unclear, and it is necessary to wait and see how the revised EU Waste Framework Directive will be implemented in Luxembourg from 2028. She also pointed out that in cities such as Luxembourg City and Esch/Alzette, Kolping has stopped street collection because input and output do not match, and local residents are more accustomed to the always-available container drop-off method.

For the used clothing trade industry, this incident reflects that the European used clothing collection end is under dual pressure from market downturn and compliance costs. Traditional charity collection models, while shrinking container business, try to maintain quantity and quality through street activities, while processing capacity still depends on cross-border recycling systems.

Source: 52. Kolping-Aktion „Aalt Gezai“ setzt auf Straßensammlung · Originally published 2026-09-14