Romania’s role as Europe's dumping ground for second-hand clothes
Romania is increasingly becoming a dumping ground for second-hand clothing, mainly originating from Western countries.
This trend has been highlighted in a recent report from the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which investigates organized crime and corruption globally. Environmental authorities in Romania also acknowledge the growing problem, stating that the country is receiving vast amounts of used clothing that is not properly sorted or cleaned.
The cost of waste disposal in Romania is significantly lower than in Western Europe, making the country an attractive location for the illegal trade of textile waste. A report from the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs revealed that Romania’s disposal costs are 10 times cheaper than in the UK or most EU countries, contributing to Romania's role in the illegal waste trade. Some waste is dumped improperly, while other textiles are sold without proper sorting or cleaning, violating environmental regulations.
The Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) has also flagged this issue, linking it to money laundering activities. Reports show that large quantities of used textiles are entering the country illegally, with a significant portion coming from Germany, which is one of the biggest exporters of used clothing. Despite official efforts to regulate waste disposal, many of these shipments bypass legal checks and are either discarded in landfills or burned in Romania.
In addition, Romania is primarily a destination for such textiles rather than an exporter, unlike other Eastern European countries that both import and export used clothing. This phenomenon is part of a broader global issue known as "waste colonialism," where Western countries send unusable clothing to poorer nations, under the guise of charitable donations.
Author: Dan Alexe
Translation by Iurie Tataru
