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Israel slow to catch on to recycling By Shahar Ilan Tags: environment, Israel Six million tons. That is how much solid municipal household and industrial waste was collected in Israeli towns and cities in 2006. Every urban Israeli produces 1.5 kilos of garbage a day, or over half a ton a year. Since 2000, household waste has increased by 3 percent each year. These statistics appear in a document compiled by Uri Tal, of the Knesset's Research and Information Center, in preparation for a Knesset Internal Affairs Committee meeting this week, to discuss the recycling of household waste. A national survey of the composition of household waste is conducted every 10 years, and the data presented by Tal is based on the survey conducted in 2005 by Shaldag Environmental Solutions and Management. Shaldag found that the majority of household waste - 40 percent by weight - was organic material. Plastic accounts for 13 percent, cardboard 8 percent; paper 17 percent; fabric, 4 percent, etc. Disposable diapers account for 5 percent, or 300 tons annually, of municipal household waste. However, the composition based on volume is completely different. Plastic constitutes 46 percent of garbage volume, with organic material far behind, at just 10 percent. Packaging materials account for close to 20 percent of garbage by weight, and about a third, by volume. Advertisement The disposal of municipal garbage is a costly business. The transportation of each ton of trash carted away to a municipal landfill site costs NIS 120, plus the cost of collecting it from municipal dumpsters and burying it at the landfill, for a total of over NIS 700 million a year. The burying fee currently stands at NIS 20 per ton and will gradually be raised to NIS 50 per ton by 2011, in order to encourage municipalities to recycle their waste. According to the Knesset research center's report, some 80 percent of household waste in Israel is transferred to landfills, compared to less than 50 percent of municipal waste in Europe. The result is that about 12 percent of the greenhouse gases emitted in Israel come from solid waste landfills. A substantial portion of recycling in Israel is done by the industry, not by households. About one third of recycled trash is metals, and 1,000 tons of car tires are recycled. In 2006 Jerusalem recycled just 3 percent of its garbage, while Tel Aviv recycled 14 percent and Shoham, 50 percent. The average recycling figure for the 122 local authorities that fulfilled their obligation of reporting to the Environmental Protection Ministry in 2006 was 19 percent. Unfortunately, many local authorities ignored this obligation. Not a single local authority in Israel separates its garbage in advance for recycling purposes. In 2007 some 400 million bottles and cans were collected under the Deposit Law. The current law does not cover 1.5-liter bottles, 500 million of which are sold each year. Bookmark to del.icio.us   A hero or a pharaoh? An Iranian film praising Sadat's assassin has touched off a row between Egypt and Iran. Primary colors Barack Obama looks to reassure Jews of his commitment to Israeli security.

Read & React Bradley Burston: Ten Mideast traps for Obama to avoid Responses: 84 Israel keen to crack down on East Jerusalem terror Responses: 86 Hezbollah chief to UN: Ready to swap more prisoners with Israel Responses: 84 Akiva Eldar: For sake of the Jewish state, divide Jerusalem Responses: 70 Aluf Benn: Israel's slap in the face from America over Iran Responses: 59 More Headlines 23:07 Obama, in Sderot: World must prevent Iran from obtaining nukes 20:02 IN PICTURES / Barack Obama visits Israel 21:47 Report: Israeli sources say Russia to supply new Iran air defenses 22:22 Syria buries dozens of guerillas returned in Hezbollah prisoner swap 23:10 Insulting film on Sadat re-opens old Iranian-Egyptian wounds 22:16 IDF rabbi: We should exempt religious troops from events where women sing 21:45 7 soccer pros detained at B-G airport for allegedly shoplifting 22:46 Ahmadinejad praises U.S. for sending rep to nuclear talks 20:26 Sen. Joe Lieberman praises pastor who said Holocaust was God's work 19:38 Two Holon brothers killed by electrocution at foam party in Turkish hotel 18:56 Polygraph confirms IDF officer didn't order soldier to shoot cuffed Palestinian 13:48 Talansky money trail: Olmert's ex-lawyer tells police how cash was handled 14:28 Record 450 French immigrants to arrive at Ben Gurion Airport 18:08 Mother allegedly sent pre-teens to U.K. to avoid welfare officials Previous Editions Select Day 22 jul 21 jul 20 jul 18 jul 17 jul 16 jul 15 jul 14 jul 13 jul 11 jul 10 jul 09 jul

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