Starting in March, Gniezno is introducing a new system for collecting old clothes and textiles directly from residents' homes, eliminating the need for visits to PSZOKs. The service will be implemented as part of the spring bulky waste collection. The correct color of the waste bag is crucial. The change results from the EU obligation for selective textile collection, which came into force on January 1, 2025.

Home Textile Collection

Starting in March, residents of Gniezno no longer need to drive to PSZOKs. Old clothes will be collected from properties as part of a mobile collection service.

EU Obligation from 2025

The new service fulfills the EU requirement for selective textile collection, which has been in force since the beginning of 2025.

Crucial Bag Color

The system's effectiveness depends on proper waste labeling. Residents must use bags of a specified color.

Alternatives to PSZOK

Municipalities are testing various forms of convenience, including mobile collection points, to increase recycling levels.

Gniezno, as one of the first municipalities in Poland, is introducing a pilot system for mobile textile collection from residents' homes starting in March. This innovation completely eliminates the need for residents to transport old clothes, bedding, or footwear to municipal PSZOKs. The service will be integrated with the traditional spring collection of bulky waste, such as furniture or household appliances. The condition for using the collection is placing textiles in bags of a strictly specified color, which the municipality will announce to residents before the campaign begins. Technical details, including exact dates for collection rounds on specific streets, are to be announced soon. The change results directly from EU regulations, which, as of January 1, 2025, impose an obligation on all member states to collect textiles selectively. The goal is to radically increase the recycling rate of these materials and reduce their disposal in landfills. Municipalities across the country, aiming to meet this challenge, are testing various models of convenience for residents. Besides the mobile collection system, as in Gniezno, mobile collection points that appear in different parts of the city on specific days of the week are also becoming popular. Traditional PSZOKs, although still operational, often cause controversy due to limited accessibility, opening hours, or a restrictive approach to accepting waste. Some points refuse to accept waste if there is suspicion it does not come from a resident of that municipality. The new system is intended to address these inconveniences. The Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC) and the EU waste package from 2018 gradually tightened waste management requirements. Poland, implementing these guidelines, introduced a waste reform in 2013, which obligated municipalities to organize selective collection. PSZOKs became a key element of the system at that time. Experts emphasize that the effectiveness of new solutions depends on their convenience for end-users. The "door-to-door" system has the potential to significantly increase collection levels, provided the rules are communicated clearly and widely. The success of the Gniezno pilot may encourage other local governments to implement similar programs, accelerating the achievement of circular economy goals in the textiles sector, one of the most environmentally burdensome. Waste Management Changes Timeline: January 1, 2025 — EU obligation for textile collection comes into force; March 2026 — Start of the pilot home textile collection in Gniezno