Data is Critical
This is true for the circular economy and mitigating climate change. When it comes to textiles, it is the common language the public and private sector need to manage these materials responsibly. It also provides transparency to citizens about where their stuff actually goes. All European municipalities have an obligation to manage textile and other waste, and they need reliable statistics and clear guidance to do this effectively.
Our work with municipalities began in Estonia, and our partners in the region have been working very hard to consistently measure post-consumer textiles pin-point the short term challenges they are facing.
Together with Saku, Lääne-Harju and Humana, we have identified the most pressing issues for municipalities and textiles in Estonia and shared them with Sigrid Soomlais, head of Environmental Management at the Environmental / Climate Ministry.
Excerpts from the Letter
Data is critical to managing textiles and other waste, and it helps us design and implement economically viable reuse and recycling options for our residents. Unfortunately, we cannot trust the waste figures that are available from the national data system or easily access important waste permit holder information. We have identified the following issues that require attention:
Serious inconsistencies or missing information in textile waste data every year between 2017-2021
2021 figures in the new Tableau system have a 33% difference in total textile waste amounts between the national level and municipal level reports
The KOTKAS permit holder registry cannot be sorted and filtered by types of materials or regions where the permit holder operates
In 2023, we request Keskkonnaministeerium take the following actions to help resolve these challenges:
Have an ongoing dialogue with municipalities about textile materials flows and waste
Take a more holistic approach to separate collection of textiles in 2025, including guidance for collection activities and improving the available data
Improve efficiency of the data reporting process private sector companies must follow
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Download ASICE (with digital signatures)
