Ireland Faces Mounting Textile Waste Challenge As Consumption Soars

Ireland is facing a growing textile waste crisis, with new data showing that the country’s clothing consumption is more than double the European average. The National Centre for the Circular Economy has warned that Ireland will need significant investment in textile sorting and recycling facilities to meet new EU obligations and manage the rising volume of discarded garments.

According to the Rediscovery Centre in Ballymun, Ireland’s national centre for the circular economy, Irish consumers purchase about 53 kilograms of textiles per person every year, compared to the EU average of 19 kilograms. An estimated 70,000 tonnes of textiles, including footwear and accessories, end up in landfill annually.

Claire Downey, CEO of the Rediscovery Centre, said the figures highlight the urgent need for systemic change in how Ireland consumes and manages textiles.

“Ireland has an extraordinarily high level of textile consumption,” Downey said. “We’re buying more than twice the European average, and around 70,000 tonnes of textiles are going into bins each year. If we tried to collect all of that separately, we simply wouldn’t have the capacity to sort and process it.”

She explained that the new EU requirement for separate textile collection, introduced in January 2025 and the mandatory Producer Responsibility Scheme, in place since October, will require major infrastructure upgrades. The measures also include tighter rules to ensure textiles exported for reuse are properly sorted to prevent waste dumping in other countries.

At the heart of Ireland’s textile reuse network is Liberty Recycling in Bluebell, south Dublin, a not-for-profit social enterprise that processes more than 100 tonnes of textiles each week. The organisation, which also provides employment opportunities for people recovering from addiction, operates recycling banks across six local authority areas and major retail chains such as Tesco.

Manager Tom Sheridan said Liberty’s team sorts incoming items into categories suitable for reuse across different global markets.

“We handle about eight 40-foot containers of textiles every week,” Sheridan said. “Roughly 8% is sold through our own shops in Ireland, about 45% goes to African markets and the rest to buyers in Asia. Most of what comes in is still in good condition, it’s just out of fashion. None of it should end up in landfill.”

Despite these efforts, Liberty estimates that its operations only handle about 10% of Ireland’s total textile waste, underscoring the need for broader national capacity.

A new National Textile Strategy, expected to be published soon, will focus on improving textile collection, sorting and reuse systems. Downey said the goal is to keep textiles in use for longer through repair, upcycling, and local reuse, rather than exporting low-quality garments overseas.

“The challenge isn’t just collecting textiles, it’s what we do with them afterward,” she said. “We need to rewear, repair and reuse them here in Ireland, not just rely on exporting or downcycling. We also need financial supports like repair vouchers, subsidies, and incentives to make reuse economically viable.”

Downey noted that many of the textiles currently being donated are of such low quality that they cannot be resold or reused, reflecting the environmental costs of fast fashion.

A spokesperson for the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment described the revised EU Waste Framework Directive as a “gamechanger” in the fight against textile waste.

“Tackling textile waste is a key step towards sustainability, combating climate change and supporting the shift to a circular economy,” the spokesperson said. “We are developing a National Policy Statement and Roadmap on Circular Textiles, alongside a plan for a Textiles Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme.”

Ireland must transpose the revised Directive into national law by June 2027, setting a clear timeline for reform.

With one of the highest clothing consumption rates in Europe and limited sorting infrastructure, Ireland stands at a crossroads in its textile journey. Experts agree that achieving a truly circular textile economy will require a cultural shift in consumer behavior, stronger industry accountability, and significant public investment.

“We can’t just collect more textiles, we have to change how we buy, use, and value them. The future of fashion in Ireland depends on how we manage what we already have.”