In a meeting with some 100 mayors from local authorities throughout Israel, within the framework of a conference organized during the course of WATEC 2009 in mid-November 2009, Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan declared: "The waste management revolution is on its way: in the beginning of 2010, the Ministry of Environmental Protection will present a memorandum on a proposed recycling of packaging waste law in Israel, whose main aim will be to create a mechanism for waste separation and recycling in cooperation with industry and local authorities." The Ministry of Environmental Protection's program for the treatment of household waste was presented to the mayors during the course of the meeting. Its main parts include: separation of household waste into two streams and its recycling by means of an infrastructure which will be established with the support of the Ministry of Environmental Protection from landfill levy and industry funds. Industry will also be directly responsible for the collection and recycling of the packaging waste. According to Minister Erdan, Israel cannot afford to lag behind developed countries in its treatment of household waste: "In light of our country's small geographic area and high population density, the State of Israel must change its existing waste treatment policy. Waste constitutes an environmental nuisance that consumes land resources, pollutes groundwater and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. We simply cannot continue to neglect its treatment. I can identify a wide positive response on the part of the public which is interested in changing its habits and expects local authorities to provide it with the necessary infrastructure. I intend to advance the treatment of waste in Israel, with wide cooperation on the part of industry and local authorities." Minister Erdan also related to the educational message that proper waste treatment carries in the transformation of waste from a nuisance to an economic resource that actually augments the income of local authorities: "Wise environmental behavior on the part of us all - public, industry and local authorities working in full cooperation is a necessity and an environmental obligation. For this reason, I placed the subject of waste treatment at the top of my ministry's priority list. The waste revolution in Israel will not take place without the full cooperation of local authorities and the personal commitment of the local authority head." The chairman of the Union of Local Authorities in Israel, Shlomo Buchbut, said that he welcomes the ministry's initiative and that the Union supports every regulatory process that the ministry advances in the field of waste treatment in Israel. Shmulik Rifman, chairman of the Israeli Regional Councils Center, said that the wide presence of local authority heads in the conference reflects the growing recognition on the part of the mayors that waste treatment should be part of the general concern for the environment, which is becoming a main focus of action on the local level. Rifman went on to commend Israel's unique use of the landfill fee, emphasizing that the funds should continue to be protected within the framework of a dedicated fund rather than the general state budget. Environmental Protection Ministry's support of local authorities During the meeting, the Ministry of Environmental Protection presented the forms in which it supports local authorities in incorporating the separation of waste into two streams (dry and wet). These include, inter alia, the following: - Funding support for the purchase of dumpsters for the separation of waste into two streams at a scope of 70 - 90%.
- Purchase of dedicated collection vehicles (trucks) for the material separated at source at a scope of 50%.
- Education and information in environmental campaigns and in the educational system, at a scope of 20% of the project.
Environmental Protection Ministry's policy on use of the landfill fee: - In 2008, the Environmental Protection Ministry transferred some 40 million shekels (more than $10 million) to some 130 local authorities.
- In 2009, some 70 million shekels were allocated for recycling infrastructure and 20 million shekels for educational activities. The Ministry of Environmental Protection has already approved half of the requests of local authorities (about 30 million shekels). Over the coming month, the rest of the requests, some 185 in all, will come up for approval.
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