Summary: Starting October 2026, the city of Ludwigshafen in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, will transfer used clothing collection to the municipally owned company WBL, distributing free dedicated collection bags to residents. The first round of street collection begins on October 10 in the Mitte district, after which one or two city districts will be covered almost every weekend. Each household can receive up to 5 bags per collection.

Key points

  • The municipal economic enterprise WBL in Ludwigshafen takes over street-level used clothing collection, replacing the private used clothing containers that had previously been withdrawn from public street space.
  • Free collection bags are available at district mayor's offices (up to 5 per household per collection) and can also be picked up at the WBL location on Kaiserwörthdamm.
  • The first collection takes place on Saturday, October 10, 2026, in the Mitte district, with subsequent dates running through January 23, 2027, in Ruchheim.

Municipality takes over, collection bags distributed free of charge
After the private used clothing containers previously placed in Ludwigshafen were withdrawn from public street space, the city government has arranged for the municipally owned economic enterprise Wirtschaftsbetrieb Ludwigshafen (WBL) to organize used clothing collection itself in the form of street collection. Citizens willing to hand in used clothing can receive official dedicated collection bags free of charge at the district mayor's offices during regular office hours, or alternatively directly from WBL on Kaiserwörthdamm. Each household is allocated a maximum of 5 bags per pickup.

Accepted items and placement rules
The bags may contain well-preserved and clean clothing, shoes, or household textiles; wet clothing and residual waste must not be mixed in. Filled bags should be placed in front of one's own door no earlier than 7 p.m. the evening before the collection day and no later than 6 a.m. on the day itself. Specific dates and operating details will be published by WBL through municipal announcements, the waste calendar, and the waste app.

Collection schedule
The first collection is set for Saturday, October 10, in the Mitte district, followed by one or two city districts almost every weekend, planned in sequence as follows: October 17 Maudach and Rheingönheim; October 24 Edigheim and Pfingstweide; October 31 Süd district; November 7 Mundenheim; November 21 Friesenheim; November 28 Gartenstadt; December 5 Oggersheim, Nachtweide, and Melm; December 12 Oppau; January 16, 2027 Nord and West districts; January 23 Ruchheim.

Alternative drop-off channels
Residents who do not want to wait until the collection day can still take used textiles to the city's three recycling centers (Wertstoffhöfe), which also accept clothing in other bags.

Significance for the industry: This adjustment reflects a trend worth watching for the used clothing trade—when private used clothing containers are cleared from public street space, the municipal side chooses to fill the gap with its own street collection. The public character of the collection stage is strengthened, and the flow of source material that previously entered sorting and export channels through private containers may change accordingly.

Source: Ludwigshafen startet Altkleider-Sammlung mit kostenlosen Säcken · Originally published on 2026-10-06