To tie in with "Old Clothes Day," Vienna is changing the way used clothing is collected. Starting January 1, 2027, Vienna will ban used clothing collection containers from public areas, affecting the roughly 2,280 currently permitted containers. However, collecting used clothing itself will still be allowed, and containers on private property may remain.

The ban stems mainly from the fact that the containers are often illegally opened, clothes are pulled out, and leftover trash is scattered on the streets, forcing the city's cleaning department to dispatch crews frequently. The Vienna city government hopes this measure will reduce pollution in public spaces.

For used clothing that is still wearable, residents can still put clean, intact garments into "48er-Tandler-Box" containers at designated locations, such as Vienna waste collection sites. After sorting, some of these clothes are sold at the "48er-Tandler" stores in Margareten and Donaustadt.

Charities also continue to accept donations. Caritas has three carla donation points in Vienna, located at Mittersteig, Nord, and Stephansplatz. The clothes received are processed and sold in its shops, with proceeds going to social projects. Mittersteig alone receives about 200 donations a day, each quickly flowing into the shops. Volkshilfe's second-hand stores also accept small amounts of used clothing, requiring garments to be clean, tidy, and free of flaws, with locations in Floridsdorf, Alsergrund, Ottakring, and elsewhere.

Founded in 1986, Humana now has 16 second-hand stores in Vienna, sorting donated clothing more carefully and selecting suitable items to hang and sell directly in stores.

If residents prefer to handle used clothing themselves, they can also swap online via Vinted or Willhaben, or take part in local Vienna flea markets such as "Wild im West" or Naschmarkt, renting a stall to turn items into cash on their own.

Source: Altkleider: Alternativen zum Container · Originally published on 2026-08-24