Growing concern over fake, illegal clothing recycling collections in Dutch cities
The Netherlands is intensifying enforcement against illegal textile collection and launching a dedicated investigative team, according to reporting by De Stentor. Meanwhile, a GPS tracking operation reported by the newspaper has revealed how clothing from unauthorized containers moves through Belgium into international secondhand export channels.
The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) is creating a special unit to target illegal textile collectors operating without permits. The agency is working with the National Information and Expertise Center of the Ministry of Justice and Security and is increasing inspections across the country. Officials say offenders face substantial fines and prison sentences.
“Illegal textile collection is highly undesirable,” ILT spokesperson Joyce Mooring told De Stentor. She said illegal operators profit in two ways: by selling the best-quality clothing and by avoiding permit costs and legitimate recycling expenses. “That is unfair to parties that do comply with the rules.”
Illegal clothing containers reportedly continue to appear across the Netherlands, often placed near schools, churches and supermarkets. Many claim to collect clothing for charity, but authorities say they are not authorized. In Lochem, one such unauthorized container was documented as part of a broader pattern of illegal containers appearing nationwide.
Municipalities often do not know who installs the containers, and removing them is difficult, allowing illegal operators to continue operating with limited disruption. The Royal Netherlands Association for Waste and Cleaning Services (NVRD) estimates that for every legal clothing container, there is roughly one illegal container in circulation nationwide.
In an investigation by De Stentor, reporters placed GPS trackers in garments deposited into suspected illegal textile containers. The trackers followed the clothing from multiple locations in the Netherlands through Belgium, where large volumes were sold to a legitimate collection company. That company then exported the secondhand textiles to countries in Africa.
According to ILT, the activity violates environmental laws intended to protect public health and support a circular economy. “These laws protect people and the environment and ensure a circular economy,” Mooring said.
Transporting or exporting collected textiles without registration is classified as an economic offense. Authorities say anyone transporting waste materials must be officially registered, including those handling unsorted textiles, which often contain mixed household waste and therefore fall under waste regulations.
The illegal collectors identified in the investigation did not have the required registrations. Under the Dutch Economic Offenses Act, violations can carry up to two years in prison, Mooring said. If carried out as a repeated practice, penalties can rise to four years in prison or fines reaching hundreds of thousands of euros.
