Eindhovens Dagblad

From Eindhovens Dagblad, Holland, December 2001

Note:  European Union regulations outlaw the export from EU countries to Eastern Europe of 'waste' including waste or unsorted clothes.    Since Eindhovens Dagblad began enquiries, Garson and Shaw Inc removed information about trading in Europe from its website.   Tvind Alert has a copy.

By Han Gommeren

EINDHOVEN - Inspectors from the (Dutch) Ministry of Environment have accused used-clothes collector  Humana Holland of the illegal export of unsorted clothes as garbage to countries outside the European Union.   The ministry has forbidden Humana to export such garbage. There is a penalty from 250 Dutch guilders on every thousand kilograms for every violation of this ban.

Humana, which also has clothes collection boxes here in Eindhoven and Nuenen, gathers about ten million kilograms of clothes a year.      Director R. van Baaren of Humana Holland says his organisation is ready to fight the ministry's ban.

His organisation is one of four that gather clothes in Holland, others being Leger des Heils, Mensen in Nood and Kici.   The money Humana makes from the clothes is meant for development projects in Africa.    In Holland one kilogram of clothes bring around a guilder. 

Humana says it  doesn't export garbage, but 'roughly sorted' clothes. 'Of course always a little bit of dirt stays behind in the clothes', says lawyer P. Fresacher of Humana Holland. 'The question is: should you consider that as dirt.'

Textile sorting companies say that by neglecting the rules of the EU, Humana incurs smaller costs than them, because Humana doesn't sort out the clothes and in this way doesn't have to pay for garbage removing.   Lawyer Fresacher says: 'Is a plastic bag garbage. Or a blouse without a button? We think not.'

The ministry thinks yes, according to EU-regulation.    Humana is a member of the international federation Humana People to People, which is connected to the controversial Tvind-group. Some of the leaders of Tvind are to appear in court because of fraud.