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Updated: 24/12/2009
From Landfilling to Recycling It is well recognized today that landfilling, no matter how environmentally safe, is not a long-term answer to Israel's solid waste problem. Landfills "consume" large expanses of valuable land and are associated with both direct and indirect environmental and economic costs. Therefore, efforts are focusing on alternatives to landfilling: source reduction, reuse, recycling, anaerobic fermentation, composting, curbside recycling programs, and waste-to-energy plants.In 2008, recycling rates in Israel reached about 21% (including waste from households and industry), up from only 3% in the early 1990s. The reasons for the spurt in recycling in Israel in recent years include the following: - The closure of old dumps and their replacement with alternative, environment-friendly sites farther from population centers has increased the cost of waste transport and landfilling;
- New material recovery facilities, which provide an alternative to landfilling, were opened in recent years. These plants collect unsorted municipal waste for the purpose of separating dry components for recycling and transforming the organic fraction into compost;
- Recycling technologies for different raw materials have been advanced;
- Increased public awareness of environmental protection, in general, and of solid waste management, in particular, has made an impact.
To further increase recycling and recovery, several means are currently being utilized - financial support, legislation, and education. The target: to reach a 50% rate by 2020.
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