Israel Ministr y of Environmental Protection

ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN
Volume 32/May 2007

8
Marine Quality

14
Solid Waste Management

26
Restoring Burned Forests

www.environment.gov.il
Contents
From the Director General of the Ministry of
Environmental Protection, Mr. Shai Avital
The Director General outlines some of the ministry’s priorities for
3 Dear Reader:
Volume 32 of Israel
Environment Bulletin
2007.
looks at some of the
First Look
News in brief about a motley of environmental issues. 5 main issues on Israel’s
environmental agen­
da in 2006 along with
Marine Quality: Cleaner Seas and Coasts
An in-depth look at the positive results of Israel’s efforts to prevent
marine and coastal pollution.
8 priorities for action in
2007 as expressed by
Mr. Shai Avital, Director
General of the Ministry
Planning for Integrated Solid Waste Management in Israel
A host of new plans and initiatives promise to bring about major
improvements in Israel’s management of its solid waste.
14 of Environmental Pro­
tection.

Our new section, First Look, highlights some of the

Tackling the Asbestos Problem – in War and Peace
Treating damaged asbestos buildings in Israel’s north, removing
asbestos roofs from public buildings and cleaning up the Western
20 major environmental happenings of 2006 while
subsequent articles in this Bulletin focus in more
depth on priority issues – whether protection of the
Galilee of asbestos. marine and coastal environment, management of
Israel’s solid waste or green, energy efficient building
Building Green in Sakhnin
A green building initiative by Israel’s first regional environmental
unit in the Arab sector will serve as a model for energy
22 in Sakhnin. In 2007, top priority will be placed on
promoting integrated solid waste management in
Israel, and recent developments, including approval
conservation. of a Master Plan for Solid Waste Management and

26
enactment of legislation on a landfill levy and tire
Restoring Burned Forests in Israel’s North disposal and recycling, should go a long way toward
A look at preliminary strategies for forest renewal in the north of facilitating progress in this area.
Israel, in the wake of the Second Lebanon War.
Alongside its efforts on the national level, Israel is
Israel Bike Trail: A Dream in the Making
Plans to establish a mountain bike trail which will traverse Israel
from north to south.
28 part of the global community, and as such, takes
an active part in international efforts to protect the
environment. Regional and international cooperation

30
with both organizations and states is an important
International Cooperation component of Israel’s environmental agenda, as
A host of conferences, with Israeli participation, dealt with the demonstrated in its active involvement in efforts to
environment in 2006. protect the Mediterranean Sea and participation in a

33
host of international workshops and conferences, as
Environmental Legislation outlined in this Bulletin.
Regulations on restricting noise in reception halls and gardens,
approval of a landfill levy and a new law on waste tire recycling. To stay updated about other environmental
developments in Israel, please visit our English website
With a Face to the Public
Public participation in Clean Up the World in Israel.
34 www.environment.gov.il/english
Shoshana Gabbay
Editor

Inquiries should be addressed to: Production: Publications and Information Unit

Israel Environment Bulletin Ministry of Environmental Protection
P.O.B. 34033, Jerusalem 95464, Israel
Design: Studio Gideon Dan, Jerusalem


Telephone: 972-2-6553777, Fax: 972-2-6535934
http://www.environment.gov.il/english
E-mail: shoshana@environment.gov.il ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT
Cover photo: IlanBULLETIN
Malester
| vol.32
 FROM THE DIRECTOR GENERAL: MR. SHAI AVITAL
MOVING AHEAD IN 2007: PRIORITIES FOR ACTION
What do you view as the main
mission of the Ministry of
Environmental Protection?
Our vision is to protect the
country’s natural resources for
future generations, by wisely
utilizing them to meet the needs
of the present generation. In
parallel, we must find ways to
balance between accelerated
technological development which
is part of life in the 21st century and the basic need of
human beings to feel a connection with nature. We cannot
pull toward either extreme. Our mission is to find a balance
between the longing to live within the natural world and
the need for technological progress and, what’s more, we
must find ways to make technology work on behalf of the
environment by utilizing it for pollution reduction.
In today’s reality, in which the public is constantly exposed
to the media, it is very easy to be swayed back and forth
between extreme opinions on both sides. I think that it is
our job to preserve a rational balance, based on professional
standards and criteria. Our ministry, as a government ministry,
must uphold its integrity and voice its professional opinion,
resisting pressure from all sides.
for this purpose. It is our duty to find solutions to this
problem, not an easy task by any means. However, alongside
the search for solutions – whether quarries for the disposal
of construction and demolition waste or recycling options,
we must educate the general public and local authorities,
using both carrot and stick, to prevent the disposal of waste
in public areas.
Secondly, in parallel to finding solutions to the waste
problem in general, we have identified a few geographical
areas, which are plagued by waste and other environmental
nuisances, on which we will concentrate special efforts
– the seam area in Jerusalem, Wadi Ara, and the Tira and
Taibe areas near Highway #6. The idea is to treat all of the
environmental problems in a specific area – whether
sewage, waste or other nuisances – in an integrated manner:
develop appropriate infrastructure, carry out enforcement,
and promote education, cleanups and maintenance, with
the help of the local communities, local authorities, schools,
and green and other organizations. We are currently working
on the logistics – legal, budgetary and operative – as well
as on ways of enlisting the help of the local population to
rehabilitate these areas. The road is not easy, but we are
already taking the first steps toward implementation.

The ministry has formulated several policy goals for

2007. What is the central objective for this year?
Our central objective is to bring about a cultural change in
the cleanliness ethic of our country’s residents. Our goal is to
prevent the pollution of the environment by waste of all kinds
– from plastic bags and bottles, to litter strewn in the streets,
to illegal disposal of construction and demolition waste. A
person who litters the public domain demonstrates not only
a lack of consideration for the environment but also a lack
of consideration for the public at large. We want to effect a
change so that people will begin to take responsibility for
preserving the public space for the benefit of all.

One of the major problems in Israel is the rampant disposal of

construction and demolition waste in areas not designated
Blossoming flowerbeds at Beit Hashita/photo: Elad Zohar

www.environment.gov.il 
 Can you briefly describe some of the other activities
which are planned for 2007?
A major priority is to act on the lessons learned from
the Second Lebanon War regarding risks in the vicinity
of hazardous substances facilities. In light of the threats to
our north and its residents during the war, we appointed a
professional public committee, headed by Major General
(Ret.) Herzl Shafir, who has accumulated a great deal
of organizational experience in the area of home front
protection. The committee is composed of stakeholders from
every relevant sector - industry, green organizations, police,
Haifa municipality, firefighters, and environmental experts.
Its mission is to reach operative conclusions on protective
measures and risk prevention and mitigation methods
during wartime.
In 2007, remediation of soil polluted by gas stations will
also be a major objective and to this end we have concluded
an agreement with the Paz Oil Company which will
undertake soil surveys in its gas stations throughout Israel
and begin remediation. In parallel, we are working toward
similar agreements with other gas companies.
In the south of the country, we concluded a court-
ordered mediation process with the industrial plants in the
industrial park of Ramat Hovav which will bring about
major improvements in sewage treatment and air pollution
prevention.
Special attention will be focused on Lake Kinneret – the Sea
of Galilee, in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior,
the Kinneret Authority and the Society for the Protection of
Nature in Israel. The aim is to prevent the entry of pollutants
into the lake from the entire watershed area, to clean up the
Kinneret coastlines and to participate in an SPNI led initiative
to open a walking path around the Kinneret, which would
Lake Kinneret/photo: Ilan Malester
 ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN
provide free and open access to all. In parallel, we will invest
major funds on river restoration, especially in the north of
the country and in the area surrounding Gaza, areas which
were given special priority in a recent government decision.
Here too we have set priorities: pollution prevention in
the entire watershed basin, biodiversity protection and
development of tourism and recreation.
We will continue to protect the rural environment, striving
to find the right balance between the need to grow and
develop, on the one hand, and to protect our open spaces
and biodiversity, on the other hand.
And most importantly, we will work, alongside the Ministry
of Education, to ensure that every child in Israel is exposed
to environmental education. The idea is to introduce
environmental subjects into all elementary schools in the
country so that environmental education would become a
norm in all schools, not only Green Schools.
One of the goals of the ministry is to improve public
service and professionalism. How are we achieving
this?
Reform in the public service is one of my main priorities. We
have to find ways to facilitate decision making and reduce
bureaucracy to enable us to fulfill our mission in the best
way possible. An important part of our work is to foster an
atmosphere of cooperation both among staffers within the
ministry and between staffers and the general public. We
must be open and attentive to the voice of the public and
green bodies, and, in case of differences, we must find the
right ways to clarify issues and work out problems in the
most transparent, direct and responsible manner possible.
If you were to ask what my vision is for 2008, I would say
the following: I would like to see a cleaner country, in which
people are considerate of one another. If the motto of the
Ministry of Environmental Protection is “peace with the
environment,” my hope is to see peace among people and
peace with the environment.
>Our central objective is to
bring about a cultural change
in the cleanliness ethic of our
country’s residents<
| vol.32
 FIRST LOOK
› Eilat’s Fish Cages on their Way Out
of the Water
Two Red Sea mariculture companies,
Ardag Ltd. and Dag Suf, began removing
their fish cages from the Gulf of Eilat in
accordance with court-approved plea
bargain agreements dated October 2006
and January 2007, respectively. According
to a June 2005 government decision, the
two companies which currently rear fish
in the Gulf of Eilat, must decrease the
number of cages and the amount of feed
allowed to enter the water each year
until all cages are removed from the sea Eilat fish cages/photo: Ilan Malester
in mid-2008.

› Paz to Invest Millions of Shekels
on the Remediation of Land
Contaminated by Gas Stations
According to an arrangement between
the Ministry of Environmental Protection
and the Paz Oil Company, Paz will
perform soil surveys in its gas stations
to detect past fuel contamination and
begin remediation. During 2007, Paz will
conduct 84 soil surveys and will begin, in
parallel, to remediate those sites in which
contamination is discovered, at an annual
investment of some 12 million shekels
(nearly $2.9 million). The program calls for
the remediation of lands contaminated
by fuel in the vicinity of gas stations
Jerusalem forest/photo: Gideon Dan
which were constructed prior to the
promulgation of the 1997 regulations on
the prevention of water pollution from
gas stations.
› 18 CDM Projects Approved in Israel
Since its establishment in 2004 and until
March 2007, Israel’s Designated National
Authority for the Clean Development
Mechanism (CDM) has approved 18 CDM
projects in such areas as production
of renewable energy, waste treatment,
increased efficiency of production
processes and agricultural projects, which
are expected to lead to a reduction of
some 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide
equivalent per year. The Israeli market has
seen significant growth in CDM projects
and five Israeli projects have already been
registered by the Executive Board of the
CDM.
› National Planning and Building
Board Rejects Safdie Plan
On February 6, 2007, the National
Planning and Building Board rejected
the controversial Safdie Plan for the
construction of 20,000 building units
in the hills to the west of Jerusalem.
Opponents of the plan claimed that
wide scale building on the undeveloped
hills to the west of the city would hurt
the development of the city center and
of the green lung around it and would
cause irreversible environmental damage.
Proponents of the plan claimed that the
plan would save the city from negative
migration. The decision not to approve
the plan was reached following the
presentation of a report that showed that
some 45,500 housing units can be built
on existing land reserves in Jerusalem
– enough to supply the city’s housing
demands until 2020.
› New Standard for Dishwasher
Detergents
Israel Standard 1417 on environmental
and labeling requirements for
dishwasher detergents was published
by the Standards Institution of Israel on
October 31, 2006. The standard, based
on a study conducted by the Civil and

www.environment.gov.il 
Environmental Engineering Faculty of the
Technion – Israel Institute of Technology,
was born of joint action by the Ministry
of Environmental Protection and the
Standards Institution of Israel. Its aim is to
reduce the boron content in automatic
dishwasher detergents in order to
help minimize salt quantities reaching
municipal sewage from the domestic
sector.
› Mapping of Vehicular and Railroad
Noise in Tel Aviv
The Ministry of Environmental Protection
in cooperation with the Environmental
Quality Authority of the Tel Aviv
Municipality have mapped areas exposed
to noise from vehicle and train traffic in
Tel Aviv. The results show that building
fronts in areas adjacent to busy roads are
exposed to noise above 70 decibels and
that 61 streets in Tel Aviv are exposed to
high noise levels from vehicle traffic.
“I am a Toreador”/photo: Itai Steinberger, z”l
 ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN
Air pollution/photo: Kenn Kiser
› Air Quality Data for 2006
Monitoring results for 2006 showed air
quality improvements in the Tel Aviv
metropolitan area, Jerusalem and Modi’in
and deterioration in Haifa and the
Krayot, Beersheba, Afula, Beit Shemesh,
Carmiel and Rehovot. Improvements are
attributed to both reduced emissions of
air pollutants and to favorable climatic
conditions for pollution dispersion. Air
quality deterioration in Haifa and the
Krayot and in medium-sized Israeli cities
is attributed to respirable particulate
matter due to dust storms.
Measures instituted by the Ministry of
Environmental Protection to prevent air
pollution from vehicular and industrial
sources, include stricter emission testing
during the annual car registration
test, introduction of Euro 4 standards,
conversion of the Reading power plant
to natural gas and reductions in industrial
air pollutants as per a Covenant on Air
Pollution Abatement.
IDF and the Environment
The environmental award ceremony
to the Israel Defense Forces in which
awards were granted to units and
soldiers who displayed exceptional
initiatives in environmental pro­
jects and activities took place on
March 18, 2007. The ceremony
was accompanied by the second
photography competition on “IDF and
the Environment,” aimed at increasing
environmental awareness among
soldiers during their army service,
with the aid of the camera lens. First
prize out of some 200 photographs
went to Staff Sergeant Itai Steinberger,
who fell in combat during the Second
Lebanon War on August 12, 2006.
His photo, “I am a Toreador,” depicts a
soldier directing a helicopter toward
landing during an exercise in the
Negev desert.
| vol.32
 WHAT’S NEW ON THE MINISTRY’S WEBSITES?
Facts and Figures for 2006
› 3.7 million surfers visited the ministry’s
websites in 2006.
› 308,000 surfers visited the websites every
month, on average.
› 2,623 new items of information were added to
the website.
› 16,300 items were updated.
› 548,718 files were downloaded by surfers.
› 960 court rulings appear in the legislation and
sentencing folder of the Hebrew website.
› 330 cabinet decisions on the environment are
included in the Hebrew website. 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

› 2,600 photographs are included in the photo

album in addition to thousands of pictures on
the different pages of the website.

And in the Press

› Recent years have seen growing environmental
media coverage.
› Recent years have seen a rise in environmental
news, with an economic slant.

Source: Ifat Media Information Center

www.environment.gov.il 

MARINE QUALITY:
CLEANER SEAS
AND COASTS
Studies and surveys confirm: Israel’s seas and
coasts are cleaner today than ever before
The evidence is in: A study released by the
Environmental Protection Ministry reveals
drastic reductions in pollution loads into
the Mediterranean Sea between 1998 and
2004. Findings of the National Monitoring
Program for the Mediterranean Sea show
a decrease in pollution levels over the past
decade. Israel’s Clean Coast Index shows
an average improvement of 32% in 2006
in beach cleanliness. Clearly, the efforts
invested by the Ministry of Environmental
Protection to prevent marine and coastal
pollution are paying off.
Land-Based Pollution Budget to the
Israeli Mediterranean Coast
In December 2006, the Ministry of
Environmental Protection released the
results of a major study, conducted by Dr.
Ilan Malester and Orly Marek, that checked
pollution loads to the Mediterranean Sea
between the years 1998 and 2004. The
results showed drastic reductions – up to
100% in some cases – which are largely
attributed to consistent improvements
in wastewater quality and to decreased
 ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN
Haifa coast/photo: Ilan Malester
discharges to sea from some pollution
sources.
The study presents a multi-annual
comparative summary of the pollution
budget of 20 primary direct sources of
wastewater or effluent discharge to the
sea. It presents discharge data for each
source separately and the pollution
budgets of all sources combined,
including pollution budgets of the Kishon
plants in the Haifa Bay industrial area.
However, alongside the good news,
the findings also reveal that discharges
into the sea have not fully stopped. The
foremost source of pollution into the
Mediterranean from Israel is the sludge
of the Dan Region Wastewater Treatment
Plant (Shafdan).
Other major sources include Agan
Chemicals, Ashdod Oil Refineries,
untreated sewage of the Nahariya
Municipality (until 2004) and the Acre
Municipality and treated effluents of
Herzliya.
The study highlights the fact that flows
from municipal wastewater treatment
plants drastically impact the pollution
budget. Ammonia pollution, for example,
reached 830 tons per year (2004) in
comparison to 120 tons from industrial
sources. In fact, flows from municipal
wastewater treatment plants constitute
more than 87% of the total contribution
of pollution to the sea.
On the other hand, while the Shafdan
sludge is currently Israel’s largest source
of marine pollution by metals, suspended
solids, organic material, mineral oil,
phosphorus and other pollutants, it is
expected that by the year 2010, sludge
discharge from the Shafdan to the sea
will come to a halt, thus bringing about
a dramatic reduction in the scope of
pollution emitted to the sea from all of
Israel’s marine outfalls. When this step
is implemented, Israel will comply, far
in advance of the target dates, with
the most stringent guidelines of the
Strategic Action Program approved by
the contracting parties to the Barcelona
Convention in 1996.
The director of the Marine and Coastal
Environment Division (MCED) of the
Ministry of Environmental Protection, Mr.
Rani Amir, has stated that the study clearly
shows that pollutant discharges to the
Mediterranean Sea can be significantly
reduced by such means as stringent
requirements for sewage treatment
facilities, reduction at source, recycling
and recovery.
>Studies show
drastic reductions in
pollution loads into
the Mediterranean
Sea<
| vol.32
 Examples of Reduction of Pollution Load in 1998-2004
Source Discharging Annual Annual %
Pollutant Indicator Units
to Sea Load 1998 Load 2004 Reduction
All except Shafdan 14,900 4,900 67%
Suspended Solids ton/year Kishon industries(1) 3,900 81 98%
Agan Chemicals 880 (4) 12.8 99%
All except Shafdan 15,650 6,760 57%
BOD (organic matter) ton/year
Kishon industries(1) 2,500 80 97%
All 2,500 950 62%
Ammonia as N ton/year
Kishon industries(1) 453 33 93%
Nitrate as N ton/year All 2,000(2) 287 84%
Phosphorous as P ton/year Kishon industries(1) 3,045 7.4 99.8%
All 208 69 67%
Total heavy metals ton/year All except Shafdan 96.6 10.8 89%
Kishon industries(1) 78.5 1.36 98.3%
kg/year Electrochemical 147.6(3) 3.6(5) 97.6%
Mercury
mg/l Industries (EIL) 0.02(2) 0.0009(5) 99%
All except Shafdan 2,910 1.8 99.9%
Cadmium kg/year
Haifa Chemicals 2,600 0.2 ~100%
Acid (H+) ton/year Haifa Chemicals 741 0 100%
(1) Except the Haifa wastewater treatment plant; (2) in 1999; (3) in 1995; (4) in 1994; (5) in 2003

www.environment.gov.il 

2,501.6
Atlas of Sensitivity of Israel’s
Mediterranean Coasts to Oil Pollution
In June 2006, the Marine and Coastal
Environment Division published an
atlas which provides a detailed graphic
representation of the susceptibility of Israel’s
Mediterranean coastline to oil pollution.
Environmental Sensitivity Index maps,
which relate to eleven levels of sensitivity,
were developed for Israel’s Mediterranean
10
10
Total metals
Total metals without Shafdan
coastal environment, based on the type
of coast, characteristics of the coast and
resources of the coast.
The atlas should facilitate calculated
decision making on prevention, protection
and recovery in case of oil spills while
providing essential information to local
authorities and other agencies for the
preparation of contingency plans for oil
spills.
ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN
National Monitoring Program for the
Mediterranean Sea: Main Findings
for 2005
Findings of the National Monitoring
Program for the Mediterranean Sea also
show a decrease in pollution levels over
the past decade. The program is based
on environmental indicators including
heavy metals in sediments, heavy metals
in benthic organisms, organic pollutants
in sediments, nutrients in coastal streams
and coastal waters and microalgae in
coastal waters. Results show that for the
most part, marine pollution originates
from the introduction of significant
quantities of organic materials, heavy
metals and nutrients from both point
sources (a few marine outfalls and mostly
coastal rivers) and diffuse sources (runoff
sources and atmospheric deposition).
The findings underline the urgent need
to reduce marine pollution from indirect
sources, especially rivers.
The national monitoring program,
carried out by Israel Oceanographic and
Limnological Research on behalf of the
Ministry of Environmental Protection,
is complemented by local monitoring
programs which are routinely carried out
in 18 different sites by facilities discharging
pollutants to sea in accordance with the
conditions stipulated in their discharge
permits.
Towards a Litter Free Coastline
Alongside efforts to clean up the
Mediterranean Sea, Israel is continuing
its “Clean Coast” Program – a campaign
to keep its shoreline clean. The project,
initiated in June 2005, includes several
elements: financial aid to local authorities
at the rate of 70% of the cleanup budget,
inspection based on the “clean coast
index” which grades coastal cleanliness
on a scale ranging from “extremely
dirty” to “very clean,” enforcement
procedures against local authorities that
do not cooperate, weekend beachside
| vol.32
 information and explanation campaigns,
integrated with enforcement activities,
in cooperation with inspectors of the
Marine and Coastal Environment Division
and Nature and Parks Authority, wide-
scale media coverage and long-term
educational plans and cooperation with
organizations such as EcoOcean, Clean
Up Israel, the Society for the Protection of
Nature in Israel and Associations of Towns
and municipal units for the environment.

Similar activities were conducted

on the Red Sea coast in cooperation
with the Marine Pollution Prevention
Station of the Environmental Protection
Ministry in Eilat, the Nature and Parks
Authority, the Eilat Municipality and
the Eilat-Eilot environmental unit.
Environmental happenings, focusing on
the theme of “clean coast” were initiated,
including distribution of garbage
bags to recreationists, organization
of competitions, initiation of cleanup
campaigns, both on the coast and
underwater, with the participation of
students and soldiers and even the
founding of a special group of high
school students dedicated to keeping
both sea and coast clean.

Clean Coast Project: Main Results for 2006

> 1287 “clean coast indexes” were carried out and published biweekly in 66 coastal
stretches, representing the country’s undeclared beaches. The average index was
4.66 (“clean”) in comparison to 6.88 in 2005 (“moderate”).

> An average improvement of 32% in the beach cleanliness level was noted, based
on the Clean Coast Index.

> 60% of the local authorities scored “clean” or more on the Clean Coast Index for
June 2005
70% of the time.

www.environment.gov.il 11

Kayaks mark opening of the Clean Coast Project/photo: KAYAK4ALL
Israel in the Regional and
International Contexts
Israel’s achievements in cleaning up
both its coasts and seas have not gone
unheeded worldwide. Following the
successful conclusion of the first season
of the “Clean Coast” Program in Israel,
representatives of the MCED, Mr. Rani Amir
and Mr. Alon Zask, were invited to a Clean
Coast Workshop in Slovenia to present
the main elements of the program and
of the “Environmental Problem Solving”
methodology on which it is based.
In mid-October 2006, Israel presented its
achievements in the reduction of land-
based pollution and coastal cleanliness to
the international community, within the
framework of the 2nd Intergovernmental
>Flows from
municipal
wastewater
treatment plants
drastically impact
the pollution
budget<
12
12 ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN
Review Meeting of the Global Program
of Action, in Beijing, China. Mr. Rani Amir,
director of the MCED, who was especially
invited to the meeting to lecture on Israel’s
experience, addressed the third breakout
group on strengthening legislative and
institutional framework. He summarized
Israel’s experience and participated in
a question and answer panel on such
issues as legislation, enforcement, policy
implementation and technologies for the
reduction of land-based pollution of the
marine environment.
Most importantly, Mr. Amir stressed
that national legislation in Israel is
a direct derivative of the protocols
of the Barcelona Convention and is
implemented in the most optimal manner
possible, accompanied by enforcement
>Industry in Israel
has invested
hundreds of
millions of dollars
in reducing
pollution to the
Mediterranean Sea,
Red Sea and Dead
Sea<
measures when necessary. The success
of this legislation in achieving the desired
results is evident both on sea and coast.
Industry in Israel has invested hundreds
of millions of dollars in reducing pollution
to the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea and
the Dead Sea. In addition, the State
of Israel, through local authorities, has
invested similar sums in stopping the
flow of wastewater into the sea. Israel
today is a world leader in the treatment
and recovery of effluents for agricultural
reuse, with more than 65% of municipal
effluents recovered. However, according
to Amir, “this does not mean that we can
rest on our laurels. Much more needs to
be done, especially in preventing marine
pollution from rivers, from agricultural
runoff and from air pollution.”
Caesarea coast/photo: Ilan Malester
| vol.32
 MORE ON ISRAEL’S POLLUTION BUDGET FROM LAND-BASED SOURCES
Why is it important to prepare
a budget of pollution loads
into the sea?
The budget demonstrates that
it is possible to reduce marine
pollution (and therefore also river
pollution, air pollution, etc.) by
such means as an administrative
system of renewable permits,
establishment of stringent but
achievable targets and formulation
Ilan Malester of professional guidelines, side
Land-Based Sources by side with enforcement. The
Coordinator, Marine and pollution budget allows us to
Coastal Environment set priorities for action which are
Division based on solid data.
What methodology did you
use to prepare the pollution
budget?
The study was based on the existing database on land-based
pollution which is found in the Marine and Coastal Environment
Division. Israeli law requires anyone discharging wastewater or
effluents into the sea to obtain a permit. The discharger is then
obligated to sample the quality of the wastewater/effluent
(according to a timetable – ranging from once daily to once
in three months – determined according to the quantity of
wastewater and type of pollutants discharged) and to report
the findings to the Division. In addition, marine inspectors carry
out independent sampling to validate the findings and enforce
permit conditions. All data are computerized to facilitate follow
up on wastewater quality and trends and to check compliance
with the conditions of the land-based permit.
On the basis of these data, we were able to calculate annual flows
for each land-based source of pollution into the sea, average
annual concentrations of the different pollutants and the loads
(quantities) for each pollutant discharged to sea.
In addition, these data allowed us to calculate the national load
of each pollutant individually. For example, we were able to
calculate how much cadmium or ammonium was discharged
to sea every year and what was the “contribution” of each source.
The assessment of the “contribution” of each source to the overall
pollution load enabled us to compare and map all of the main
sources of pollution.
www.environment.gov.il
What were the lessons learned from the pollution budget
in terms of what should be done to reduce pollution?
We learned that the sludge of the Shafdan (Dan Region
Wastewater Treatment Plant) was the main source of land-based
pollution to the Mediterranean in 2004 and will remain so until
discharge of sludge to sea is fully stopped in 2010. Therefore,
most of our efforts should concentrate on removing the sludge
from the sea. The Kishon plants – several large industrial plants
which traditionally discharged their effluents to the Kishon River
– no longer represent an acute environmental problem, as they
did in1998 when they were considered to be the main polluters
of the sea alongside the Shafdan. The efforts we invested in
formulating and enforcing stringent conditions and timetables
for wastewater treatment for these industries led to major
improvements.
The pollution budget also allowed us to identify the main sources
of land-based pollution into the sea other than the Shafdan. We
learned, for example, that the effluents of wastewater treatment
plants are a most significant source of marine pollution, even
though they undergo treatment, due to their large flows.
Since the Shafdan is such a major source of pollution,
what are we doing to improve the situation?
We are working on two plains: Firstly, improving the quality of
the sludge discharged to sea, by reducing the heavy metals and
mineral oil concentrations of the sludge. This is done in two
ways: by means of permit conditions which require stringent
oversight and control programs in the plants discharging their
wastewater to the wastewater treatment system of the Dan
(Tel Aviv) metropolitan area and by more rigorous enforcement
against polluting plants.
Secondly, requiring the Shafdan to find and to implement a land-
based solution to sludge disposal which would bring an end to
sea disposal. The Shafdan’s preferred solution is to establish a
thermal facility in accordance with the most stringent European
standards so as to ensure that air pollution is not caused. An
alternative solution which is also being checked is the application
of the sludge as compost for agricultural use, which may be less
feasible for implementation in Israel.
Haifa Bay/photo: Ilan Malester
13
 PLANNING
FOR INTEGRATED
Green plastic bottles await recycling at Aviv Ltd./photo: Yoav Goell
SOLID WASTE
MANAGEMENT
IN ISRAEL
What to do with some 6 million tons of
municipal and industrial waste which is
generated in Israel each year? A recently
approved Solid Waste Management Master
Plan, coupled with legislative reforms and
initiatives, presents some answers.
Each person in Israel generated 1.53
kilograms of waste per day in 2005
- totaling 560 kilograms per person
per year. In all, some 6 million tons of
waste, including industrial waste, were
generated in Israel in 2005. In a country
as small as Israel, the problem of how to
manage of all of this waste is reaching
critical proportions.
Recognition of the fact that the capacity of
authorized landfills will soon be exhausted
led the Ministry of Environmental
Protection to formulate a policy based
on integrated waste management at the
dawn of the 21st century. In 2006, the
14
14 ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN
main elements of this policy, based on a
combination of methods to reduce and
recover as much of the waste as possible,
received the official stamp of approval
of the National Planning and Building
Board, Israel’s highest planning authority,
in the form of a Solid Waste Management
Master Plan.
From Concept to Document
To date, Israel’s solid waste management
system has taken little or no consideration
of the scarcity of land reserves and of the
dire consequences of land consumption.
The unrealistic low cost of landfilling
has prevented the introduction of
advanced, innovative – and more
expensive – methods of solid waste
treatment. To a large extent, the Solid
Waste Management Master Plan seeks to
overcome this basic market failure. It sets
out to present a clear and comprehensive
framework for solid waste management,
including rules, criteria, approaches and
long-term goals for achieving integrated
solid waste management, based on
reduction, recovery and landfilling, with
landfilling representing the last option.
Moreover, it relates to all stages of solid
waste management, to all generators of
waste and to a wide range of treatment
methods.
Strategic Policy Goals
In a nutshell, the target of Israel’s solid
waste policy is to minimize the costs
– both environmental and economic -
of solid waste treatment. Environmental
costs, which are not always easy to
quantify, are reflected in damages to
quality of life, safety and human and
environmental health. Economic costs
are reflected in the direct costs of land
consumption and in the financial and
natural resources required for solid waste
treatment.
Following are the strategic goals of the
solid waste management master plan:
1. Sustainable management of land
resources in Israel: Assurance
that land consumption for
landfilling purposes will not hinder
opportunities for physical, landscape,
and environmental development,
but will prevent economic and social
damages (social injustice) in all areas
of the country.
2. Protection of the physical
environment: Assurance that the
solid waste management system will
be implemented in a way that will
| vol.32
 prevent environmental damages of
all kinds.
3. Repair of historic damages:
Assurance that reversible historic
environmental damages will be
reduced in all areas within five years.
4. Partnership and contribution
to global environmental trends:
Assurance that the policy will
transform Israel into an active and
valued partner in international efforts
to protect global environmental
resources.
Public Participation in Planning for
Integrated Solid Waste Management
The Ministry of Environmental Protection
considers public participation in
planning and decision making processes
to be a high priority in order to prevent
conflicts and promote plans. During the
preparation of the solid waste master
plan, four public hearings were held with
the participation of the Israeli Public Solid
Waste Forum – a 200-member group
including stakeholders from all sectors.
Furthermore, due to the sensitivity of
planning for thermal treatment facilities
and other recycling and recovery facilities
in the vicinity of population centers, the
Ministry of Environmental Protection and
the S. Neaman Institute for Advanced
Studies in Science and Technology have
initiated a project designed to create an
efficient and accessible mechanism for
public participation.
Priorities for Action
The Ministry of Environmental Protection
has been working hard to implement
the integrated solid waste policy, with
first priority going to the landfill levy
(approved in January 2007) as a means
of internalizing the external costs of
land consumption, air pollution, water
pollution and more. Without doubt,
the recent approval of the landfill levy
constitutes an historic milestone in waste
management in Israel.
Yet, at the same time, the ministry
is also concentrating its efforts on
promoting recycling and reduction
at source for different waste streams,
reviewing different technologies for
thermal treatment and promoting public
participation in planning and decision
making on material recovery facilities.
Several of the ministry’s initiatives
have become a reality in recent
months – whether the landfill levy
or a recycling law for waste tires, thus
significantly advancing the ministry’s
efforts. Education, financial assistance
and regulatory measures – all are being
used today to make integrated solid
waste management a reality.

Policy Steps and Recommendations Recovery:

The master plan outlines the policy steps
which are necessary to achieve the goals of
solid waste treatment in Israel. Each step is
made up of two components: actions that
will serve as “agents of change” to achieve
the long-term goals of the master plan, and
> Imposing a landfill levy which will
internalize the external costs of
landfilling.
> Advancing planning for a thermal
treatment system.
> Promoting paper, cardboard and plastic

Electronic waste awaiting recycling at Zohar S.B.A/photo: Yoav Goell

tools to facilitate the process by such means
recycling.
as legislation and enforcement, economic
incentives and persuasion and assimilation. > Advancing composting.

Following are some examples of Landfilling:

recommended policy steps:
Reduction at source:
> Encouraging reduction at source, mainly
among industrialists and commercial
enterprises.
> Reviewing potential models of levies on
manufacturers for material use.
> Promoting reduction at source among
the general public.
> Advancing dedicated landfills for dry
waste (with low degradable organic
matter).
> Continuing the development of landfills
for municipal solid waste.
> Rehabilitating abandoned dumps.

www.environment.gov.il 15
 DID YOU KNOW?
Waste Generation Facts and Figures: 2005
Generation of Waste
› A total of 6 million tons of waste, including industrial
waste, were generated in Israel in 2005.

› Each person in Israel generated 1.53 kilograms of

waste per day, totaling some 560 kilograms per year.

› Savion residents generated the highest rates of

waste per day – 4.47 kg per person, followed by Eilat
– 3.45 kg of waste per person per day, probably due
to the waste generated by the numerous hotels and
large numbers of tourists in the city.

› Waste quantities generated in Jerusalem, Beersheba

and Bnei Brak have remained nearly identical over
the past five years – about 1.26 kg per capita, 1.7 kg
per capita and 1.36 kg per capita, respectively.

› Waste quantities in Tel Aviv have declined over the

past six years: 3.27 kg in 2000, 2.94 kg in 2001, 2.85 kg
in 2002, 2.75 kg in 2003, 2.73 kg in 2004 and 2.62 kg in
2005. This trend indicates a decrease in consumption
levels.

Composition of Solid Waste: 2005

› Plastic waste constitutes 46% of the

waste volume in the Israeli garbage
bin (up from 34% in 1995), followed
by paper (15%) and cardboard (13%).

› In terms of weight, organic matter

constitutes 40% of Israel’s solid waste,
followed by paper (17%) and plastic
(13%).

› Plastic bags make up 30% of the

volume and 7% of the weight of the
waste.

16
16 ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN | vol.32
 Glass bottles at Phoenicia await recycling/photo: Yoav Goell
Recycling of Waste
› 1.4 tons of waste were recycled by 8
sorting and recycling facilities, 23% of
the total quantity of mixed waste.

› Recycling rates in Israel have risen

from 3% at the beginning of the
1990s to about 23% in 2005.

› Some 130 local authorities take part

in recycling and recovery processes in
Israel.

› Some 1,156 billion beverage con­

tainers were collected for recycling
between October 2001, when the Estimates of Recycling in Israel (2005)
Deposit Law on Beverage Containers Total Recycled Waste/Year Percent of Recycling
went into effect, and the end of 2005. Type of Raw Material
(tons) out of Total
Some 330 million beverage containers
were collected in 2005. Non-Ferrous Metals 29,037 0.48
Electronics 10,500 0.18
› Some 50 million beverage containers
Yard Waste & Wood 236,972 3.95
larger than 1.5 liters were collected
from 6000 cage-like receptacles Glass 30,000 0.5
dispersed throughout the country. Organic Material 356,602 5.94

› Sixteen collection points for electronic Miscellaneous 7,063 0.12

waste are dispersed in ten local Ferrous Metals 465,210 7.75
authorities throughout the country. Paper and Cardboard 255,138 4
› 85 tons of used batteries were Plastic 28,100 0.47
collected in 2005. In the first eight Tires 1000 0.02
months of 2006, 80 tons of used
Total 1,419,622 23
batteries were collected for landfilling
in the hazardous waste treatment site
at Ramat Hovav.

www.environment.gov.il 17
 MOVING TOWARD INTEGRATED SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
Israel has a statutory outlined in the master plan will be translated into recovery and
National Outline Plan for recycling facilities in the field over the coming years.
Solid Waste Treatment. Why
was it necessary to prepare What is the ministry doing to facilitate the move to
a master plan on solid waste integrated waste management?
management as well?
Fortunately, we have seen several of our initiatives come to
The National Outline Plan for Solid fruition recently. Firstly, and most significantly, an amendment
Waste Treatment (NOP 16) was to the Maintenance of Cleanliness Law makes the landfill levy
approved by the government obligatory. The economic studies which first identified the
in 1989 and was amended on landfill levy as the right tool for reducing the quantities of waste
different occasions during the reaching landfills and increasing waste recycling and recovery
Ilan Nissim 1990s. However, the background
Director, Solid Waste were carried out as far back as 1996. I believe that the landfill
documents of this outline plan levy is the most significant achievement in the field of solid
Division forecast processes until the year waste treatment over the past ten years. Without doubt this
2000 and did not envision the achievement will advance Israel towards a new era of recycling
scarcity of space for landfilling. Our recognition that landfill and recovery.
volume in Israel is fast running out prompted us to approach the
National Planning and Building Board with a request to facilitate At the same time, two additional developments will help pave
the establishment of Material Recovery Facilities and to simplify the way toward recycling: enactment of the Tire Recycling
the statutory planning process which is long and bureaucratic. Law and approval by the cabinet and the Israel Knesset in a
In turn, the National Board called for the preparation of a master first reading of the expansion of the Deposit Law on Beverage
plan which would analyze existing conditions and present Containers which will allow some 600 million more bottles, 1.5
recommendations for integrated solid waste management until liters and up, to come under the umbrella of the law.
the year 2020.
In parallel, we will continue to grant financial aid to material
On a concrete level, what will be the outputs of the new recovery facilities, to recycling centers and educational programs
master plan? and to other recycling initiatives. In our opinion the combination
of recycling with thermal treatment and anaerobic digestion
The outputs will include legislative steps and operational and should bring us close to our 50% recovery target.
planning processes. Legislative steps include the imposition of
a landfill levy, which was finally approved in January 2007, and
specific legislation for different waste streams, such as the Tire
Recycling Law, also recently enacted. Operational processes
relate to composting and other forms of waste recovery. Planning
processes relate to a directive by the National Board to amend
NOP 16 in accordance with the recommendations of the master
plan, including zoning requirements for thermal treatment
facilities and guidelines on public participation. The idea is to
shorten the planning track for some projects by transferring the
planning of recycling and recovery facilities from the national to
the regional level of planning.

The National Board is the highest statutory planning body

in Israel, with representatives from government bodies, local
authorities and public and professional organizations. Therefore,
the adoption of the master plan by this body should have far-
reaching influence on the entire system. I believe that the policy Te’enim landfill/photo: Ilan Nissim

18
18 ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN | vol.32
 MOVING FROM LANDFILLS TO RECOVERY FACILITIES
The National Outline Plan for Solid
Waste has proved itself. It has seen
the closure of hundreds of dumps
and their replacement by state-
of-the-art landfills. However, it is
time to move on. We must now
provide the right conditions to
entrepreneurs, we must prepare
the necessary infrastructure,
and we must provide the right
framework of rules to facilitate
Tal Shohat recovery processes.
Director of Landfills and
Transfer Stations, Solid Therefore, we are now in the midst Decorating garbage dumpsters in Acre/photo: Ilan Swissa
Waste Division of amending the provisions of the
outline plan in accordance with
the master plan. The goal is to
facilitate the establishment of solid waste complexes, offering
different treatment options, and based on environmental
criteria. To reach this goal, planning processes must be simplified.
Sorting, recycling and composting facilities will be planned
at the regional level, while landfill planning will continue at
the national level where a comprehensive view of Israel’s land
resources is necessary.

Within a few years, all of today's approved and active landfills

will reach capacity. Therefore, urgent steps are necessary to
promote alternative and advanced treatment methods. In this
regard, the landfill levy which was recently approved by the
Knesset is of top importance. Today the price of landfilling in
Israel is unrealistic and thereby impedes the promotion of
advanced treatment methods, including reduction at source,
Plastic bottle receptacle/photo: Shaul Almog
reuse, recycling and waste to energy. A comparative study
which we undertook showed that while the average price of
landfilling in Israel is about 40 shekels per ton (less than $10),
prices worldwide run between tens of dollars to as much as
hundreds of dollars per ton.

As long as the landfilling price does not reflect its true costs,
advanced waste recovery facilities will not be able to penetrate
the waste treatment market. The landfill levy plays a vital role
in providing a solution to the current price distortion in Israel's
waste market and will go a long way toward encouraging the
development of waste recovery facilities as alternatives to
landfills.

Tire as home to anemone and mosquitoes/photo: Shai Ilan

www.environment.gov.il 19
 TACKLING THE
Home with asbestos roof hit by missile. Manual removal of asbestos/photo: Zeev Varga
ASBESTOS
PROBLEM –
IN WAR AND
PEACE
At least 30 buildings - industrial, agricultural
and residential - were hit by rockets during
the Second Lebanon War, from mid-July
to mid-August 2006. The total area of the
asbestos buildings damaged is estimated at
25,000 square meters. Without doubt, these
hits carried a high financial and personal
price, but they carried an additional cost as
well: health impacts which may only become
evident decades from today. The destruction
of cement-asbestos buildings released
asbestos fibers into the air which, if inhaled,
carry the risk of lung disease, mesiothelioma
and other cancers.
20
20 ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN
Measurements and Costs
Samples tested during the war for the
presence of asbestos fibers in buildings
destroyed by direct or nearby missile hits
indicated high concentrations of asbestos
in the air. For example, in a bedroom in
Moshav Tel Al, 2300 asbestos fibers/m3
were measured (in comparison to a
current guideline value of 1400 fibers/
m3 for ambient exposure to asbestos,
scheduled to be reduced to 1000 fibers/
m3 in the near future).
The financial costs of professionally
treating every damaged asbestos
building, including disposal of the waste
material, pumping, burying the waste
material and destroying contaminated
equipment, were also far from negligible
– running into many tens of thousands
of shekels. For example, the cost of
treating asbestos damages caused to the
asbestos roof of a carpentry shop in Kiryat
Ata, in a 1000 square meter area, was
250,000 shekels ($60,000), with the cost
of installing a replacement roof reaching
one million shekels ($240,000).
Asbestos Training Course in
Israel
On March 11-15, 2007, two EPA
asbestos experts participated
in meetings and site visits and
conducted a two-day workshop on
asbestos in Israel. The aims of the
workshop were to share technical
knowledge regarding investigating
and evaluating the potential for
asbestos contamination in the
environment and within buildings
and to learn how asbestos is
investigated and evaluated within
Israel. The workshop highlighted
that Israel is on par with the US on
asbestos related issues – including
procedures, regulations,
methods, sampling and more.
work
| vol.32
What did the Ministry of
Environmental Protection Do?
With the outbreak of the war in July 2006,
the Ministry of Environmental Protection
organized quickly with guidelines to
Israel’s emergency and rescue services
(Police and Firefighters) on safe asbestos
treatment, designed to minimize the
potential dispersion of asbestos fibers
and the exposure of professionals and
residents. Among requirements:
1. Asbestos contractors were equipped
with protective equipment.
2. Damaged buildings were demarcated
and closed off, with entrance
prohibited to residents or to anyone
not adequately protected.
3. A certified asbestos expert was
appointed to implement immediate
actions aimed at minimizing fiber
dispersion, treating and disposing of
the waste, pumping fibers from the
structure, and more.
www.environment.gov.il
Encapsulation to prevent asbestos release/photo: Shai Pe’er
Missile hit of carpentry with asbestos roof/photo: Shai Pe’er
treatment and removal guidelines. The
State of Israel, by means of the Property
Tax bureau, fully funded the treatment of
damaged asbestos structures.
Tackling the Asbestos Cement
Problem in Israel
Alongside funds for the treatment of
asbestos containing buildings which were
damaged during the recent war, the risks
associated with some 100 million square
In parallel, the Ministry of Environmental meters of asbestos cement in industrial
Protection published newspaper ads buildings, agricultural structures,
(in both Hebrew and Arabic) calling on roofs of private buildings, educational
anyone whose asbestos property was institutions, parking areas and army
damaged by rocket hits to apply to camps throughout the country cannot
the Property Tax office and to treat the be underestimated.
structure according to stringent asbestos
Therefore, in December 2006, the Ministry
of Environmental Protection issued a call
for proposals to local authorities for the
removal of asbestos cement roofs from
public buildings throughout Israel (one
million shekels).
Out of 51 proposals which were
submitted, the Ministry of Environmental
Protection approved the requests of
27 local authorities to remove asbestos
cement roofs from 114 public buildings
throughout Israel, spanning an area of
40,857 square meters.
But that’s not all. The Ministry of
Environmental Protection will allocate
additional funds to local authorities for
removing asbestos cement roofs from
public buildings, especially educational
institutions, within the framework of
another call for proposals in 2007. The
aim, according to Tamar Bar-On, director
of the Hazardous Dust Division, is to
further reduce the potential for exposure,
Direct missile hit of asbestos roof/photo: Zeev Varga especially among children.
21
 BUILDING GREEN
IN SAKHNIN
Green building in Sakhnin/photo: Ryad Dwere
A green building, initiated by the Towns
Association for Environmental Quality Agan
Beit Natufa, will serve as a model for energy
conservation and environmental research in
the Galilee
The news couldn’t have been better. Out
of 31 pilot project initiatives submitted to
the MED-ENEC competition on energy
efficiency in the construction sector, the
Green Building Project submitted by the
Towns Association for Environmental
Quality (TAEQ) Agan Beit Natufa in
Sakhnin ranked first.
Exciting things have been happening in
the Towns Association for Environmental
Quality in recent years. Established in
1993 in the Lower Galilee city of Sakhnin,
TAEQ was the first regional environmental
unit in the Arab sector, serving seven
Arab villages and towns. Today, the
Association is renowned for spearheading
environmental projects that have played
22
22 ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN
a key role in increasing public awareness
and involvement in environmental issues.
Concentrating on such issues as water
and energy conservation, wastewater
treatment and reuse, air pollution
prevention and environmental planning,
TAEQ is dedicated to promoting a rich
diversity of environmental projects
including joint environmental projects
as a means of promoting Arab Jewish
coexistence, creating a center for
environmental education and international
cooperation on advanced wastewater
treatment in rural areas (supported by
the EC LIFE Third Countries Project), and,
most recently, upgrading a green building
that will serve as a model for energy
conservation and environmental research.
Green Building: Integrating
Traditional and Modern Elements
The green building project is integrated
in a pioneering initiative to establish a
100,000 m2 ecological village in Sakhnin,
which will be dedicated to promoting
sustainable development in the region.
The two-story green building, which will
serve as an office building, an educational
center and a research and implementation
center for green building technologies,
will be at the heart of this environmental
village, which already attracts about 50
thousand visitors per year.
The existing green building was designed
according to energy saving architectural
principles, many of them inspired by
traditional Mediterranean architecture
(e.g., large internal central yards, thick,
insulated double walls of the building’s
envelope, cooling towers - malkafs,
natural light bulbs - tisanes, shades
- mashrabias, domes, vaults, etc.). The
effectiveness of these energy conserving
elements, which were incorporated
into the design and architecture of the
| vol.32
building, has been investigated by local
students and researchers during each
season of the year. All of the elements
were found to significantly impact on
the energy consumption of the building.
In fact, the overall energy savings of the
existing green building as compared to
conventional buildings with equivalent
functions was found to be 72% during
a one and a half year monitoring project
(supported by the Chief Scientist of the
Ministry of Environmental Protection).
Alongside these traditional building
elements, the building, which was
designed by Architect Abdelrahman
Yassen, exemplifies important envi­
ronmental principles dealing with energy
conservation, water conservation, use of
local and recycled material, all of which
contribute to reducing building and
maintenance costs. Furthermore, the
building was constructed using natural
local building materials such as local
stones, soil, straw and stabilized lime,
similar to the traditional construction
that has characterized the area. Planning
and construction were adapted to the
topography and are based on wind flow
and sun angle.
The basic concept of the project is to
achieve full energy independence of
the green building (zero or close to zero
utilization of energy produced from fossil
fuels), in accordance with four stages:
✿ Design of a green building that
conserves energy through the
integration of architectural energy
saving design and technological
energy saving devices.
✿ Addition of energy saving elements
based upon solar heating systems and
wind cooling systems.
✿ Addition of electricity generating
units (photovoltaic, wind turbines),
operating in complementary hours
to supply the relatively small amount
of energy required for purposes other
than air conditioning.
✿ Grid electricity back up for peak hours,
for days with low radiation and low
wind.
This integration of elements, backed up
by grid electricity, is expected to supply
urban areas the optimal combination of
energy independence, environmental
sustainability and economic feasibility.
Expected Benefits of the Green
Building
Numerous benefits, environmental,
economic and social, are expected
from this green building, from easy
maintenance and low construction costs
to efficient energy and water utilization
to community and regional participation
and involvement.
The actual importance of the project,
however, goes much beyond the
economic value of the energy savings
that will be gained by installing the
various elements. The main benefit of
the proposed project is establishment
of the required infrastructure for a
demonstration and training center that
will disseminate the green building design
principles by future educational and
R&D activities. With some 50,000 annual
visitors and the ever growing educational
activities of the TAEQ, the dissemination
of green building design principles and
methodologies is the most important
benefit of the proposed project.

Upgrading the Energy Efficiency of The Green Building Project: Facts

the Green Building and Figures
The pilot project, supported by MED- > Total annual energy consumption
ENEC, aims at upgrading the energy of the green building today is 68,000
efficiency of the building by adding kWh/yr in comparison to 246,000

Building workshops using local stone/photo: Ryad Dwere

passive architectural solar heating
elements, electricity producing elements
(photovoltaic and wind turbine), solar
water heating, and numerous energy
saving appliances and instruments (e.g.
energy saving light bulbs, wise on/off
light switches, wise and remote control
ceiling window operators, etc.). The most
important element in the pilot project will
be the addition of solar heated sunspaces
enclosed by solar heating walls or roofs,
with the potential to reduce the need for
external heating energy sources in winter
to zero!
kWh/yr estimated for conventional
building. This represents a 72%
reduction in total annual energy
consumption obtained after 1.5
years of operation according to
green building principles.
> Total annual energy consumption
is expected to reach a calculated
value of 19,000 kWh/yr (92% overall
saving compared to conventional
building) after implementation of
the pilot project.

www.environment.gov.il 23
 Towns Association for Environmental Quality
Beit Natufa Basin ID
The TAEQ is dedicated to increasing environmental awareness and Green building in Sakhnin/photo: Ryad Dwere
community involvement by means of projects on environmental
education and research, sustainable development, and coexistence.
Recent and planned projects include:

> Sakhnin Center as a Model for Environmental Education and

International Cooperation on Advanced Wastewater Treatment
in Rural Areas: This project, supported by funding from the Life
Third Countries Project in 2004, aims at technologically upgrading
existing wastewater treatment facilities to produce improved
quality effluent for local agricultural irrigation, while providing
a base for educational activities and research projects.

> Demonstration Center for Environmental Technologies: This

field center, located near Sakhnin’s wastewater treatment
plant, demonstrates wastewater treatment technologies,
MED-ENEC competition in Tunisia/photo: Abdelrahman Yassen
hydroponic plants and constructed wetlands, recycled materials
in classrooms and buildings, green building principles and
renewable energy.

> Green Building in Sakhnin as a Model for Energy Conservation

and Environmental Research: This ecological building, which
integrates traditional and modern elements, ranked first in an
EU-funded MED-ENEC competition on energy efficiency in the
construction sector, held in 2006.

> Environmental Management and Planning as a Tool for

Promoting Sustainable Coexistence between Israelis and
Palestinians: TAEQ was awarded a grant in 2006 from the
EU Partnership for Peace for a project aimed at promoting
dialogue and cooperation between Palestinians and Israelis on
environmental, management and planning issues.

*
{
For further information:
{
Towns Association for Environmental Quality – Agan Beit Natufa
{{ {
{ {
P.O Box 1093, Sakhnin, 20173, Israel
Contact person: Mr. Hussein Tarabeah
Tel: 972-4-674-5247/8, Mobile: 972-54-4577577, Fax: 972-2-674-5198
Email: natufa@zahav.net.il | Website: www.taeq.org
{
24
24 ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN | vol.32
THE VISION OF THE TOWNS ASSOCIATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

When did you first become We also realized the importance of wise planning and
interested in environmental development and took an active part in planning committees,
issues? making sure that environmental considerations are integrated
and assimilated within municipal planning and industrial
I first learned about local
development. Today, the fingerprints of the TAEQ are visible
environmental units, set up by
throughout the region. No project can be approved without an
the Ministry of Environmental
environmental review.
Protection, in 1992 during my
graduate studies in environmental
engineering. At the time, I What was your vision upon establishing the TAEQ? Is it
approached the mayor of Sakhnin being fulfilled?
with the idea of setting up Israel’s My first thought was to establish an ecological demonstration
Hussein Tarabeah first environmental unit in the center which would operate as a closed loop, with treated
Director, TAEQ Arab sector. As a result, a regional wastewater going for irrigation, biogas going for energy
environmental unit was set up in production, sludge for compost, and so on. I saw the project as a
1993, which was transformed into bridge for peace between Jews and Arabs, Israel and neighboring
a statutory Towns Association for Environmental Quality in 1996. countries, and this is exactly what happened.
I have been privileged to serve as director of the TAEQ since its
establishment. I am touched by the wonderful feedback from the residents of
the area who turn to us to help solve environmental and social
What were your first priorities for action after problems. We took the lead in initiating and advancing a multitude
establishing the TAEQ? of projects and the 50,000 visitors to our demonstration center
attest to our success. What better tribute than to know that
Firstly, we initiated an environmental survey to map the state of
even under the most difficult political circumstances, meetings
the environment in the six Arab villages and towns belonging
between Palestinians and Israelis continued at our center.
to the TAEQ. We discovered that the settlements in the Arab
sector were undergoing accelerated development, with little or Every day is a new day for me. My vision is that the environmental
no attention to environmental issues. There were problems in village, which is now being built, stone by stone, will continue the
nearly every area - inadequate infrastructure, sewage and waste momentum which has already been initiated and will promote
pollution, inappropriate environmental planning, nuisances and cooperation and dialogue which will bring peace between
neighborhood squabbles related to the presence of animals person and person, between people and the environment.
within the settlements, and more.

What were your conclusions?

We realized that we needed to do much more than to put out
fires, or carry out solitary cleanup campaigns. We needed to get
to the root of the problems. This reinforced our recognition that
environmental education was of top importance, especially
in the Arab sector, which is a traditional society which does
not easily accept innovation. We sought ways to avoid
confrontation and adapt ourselves to the traditional way of life
while advancing environmental education. Our solution was to
establish an educational and research center that would be a
meeting point for professionals, students, farmers and people Cooling towers – Malkafs/photo: Ryad Dwere
in every walk of life.

www.environment.gov.il 25
 RESTORING BURNED
Naftali mountains after fires/photo: Michael Houri
FORESTS IN ISRAEL’S
NORTH
Experts grapple with difficult questions on how best to rehabilitate
some 12 square km of burned forests in Israel’s north
800 forest fires, 750,000 burned trees, 12
square km of burned forests, 66 square
km of burned nature reserves, national
parks and open landscapes, 71 square
km of burned pastureland – this was
the toll of the Second Lebanon War on
Israel’s natural environment. Excluding
overlaps, it is estimated that a total of
120 square kilometers of landscapes
were burned as a result of rocket hits in
the summer of 2006.
What to do to repair the damage and
help forests recover? The answers are
far from simple. Israel’s Nature and
Parks Authority (NPA), responsible for
protected areas in Israel, largely believes
that nature should be allowed to do its
own work, with minimal intervention. At
the same time, the NPA believes that the
fact that so many different ecosystems
were damaged by a simultaneous
catastrophic event presents a unique
opportunity to conduct a comprehensive
multi-disciplinary comparative study
on the rehabilitation of Mediterranean
ecosystems which would provide insight
and tools for future management of such
damaged areas.
26
26 ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN
On its part, Keren Kayemeth Le’Israel (KKL)-
Jewish National Fund (JNF), whose name
has been associated with afforestation
since its establishment 105 years ago, has
conducted professional consultations on
forest renewal strategies and plans over
the past months and has established an
advisory scientific board, including the
Ministry of Environmental Protection, to
accompany the process. On the one hand,
the JNF has been subject to pressure
from different quarters to replant the area
as soon as possible. On the other hand,
accumulated research and experience
seem to favor an approach of natural
regeneration through sprouts of the
former planted trees (mostly pine species)
and/or native species (mostly oaks).
Confronting the Questions
Although much has been learned in
recent years, much of it in the aftermath
of major fires in Mt. Carmel in 1989 and
in the Jerusalem Corridor in 1995, there
are no clear cut answers to many of the
questions: What are the optimal methods
for forest rehabilitation in different
geographical areas? When should nature
Firefighting plane/photo: Klil Hadar
be allowed to take its own course and
when should it be helped along? What to
do with the burnt trees and trunks? What
should the grazing regime be? How to
control soil erosion? How can future fires
be prevented?
In order to provide a wide forum for
further discussion on these and other
topics, the Ministry of Environmental
Protection took the lead and initiated a
meeting with all relevant stakeholders
– JNF, NPA, the Ministry of Agriculture
and experts from academic institutions
throughout Israel soon after the war. This
was followed up by a seminar on the
“Ecological and Management Aspects of
Forest Rehabilitation in the Aftermath of
Fires – Compilation of Information and
Lessons Learned from Previous Fires”
on December 12, 2006, convened by
the Chief Scientist of the Environmental
Protection Ministry, in cooperation with
the Chief Scientist of the NPA and the
JNF’s Land Development Authority.
During the day, experts and scientists
addressed three general topics: forest
damages in Israel’s north in the wake of
| vol.32

the Second Lebanon War, regeneration
processes, and management techniques
for dealing with fires. Individual
presentations dealt with issues as diverse
as the impacts of forest fires on verte­brates
and invertebrates, short and long-term
soil changes and erosion following fires,
interrelationships between species (Pinus
and Cistus) in the first stages of secondary
succession following the Carmel forest
fire, possibilities and limitations of forest
self regeneration following fires, and
management techniques for dealing with
and preventing forest fires. Most of the pre­
sentations related to lessons learned from
two major fires that raged in Mt. Carmel
in 1989 and in the Jerusalem Corridor in
1995. At the same time, they highlighted
lacunas in the state of knowledge and
emphasized the importance of in-depth
research and monitoring.
Toward Regeneration of Israel’s
Burned Forests
According to a report on the
environmental damages of the Second
Lebanon War, which was prepared for
the World Conservation Union (IUCN),
the burned landscapes in northern Israel
mainly consisted of herbaceous batha,
Mediterranean maquis and planted forest.
In most cases, the burned areas were small
and non-continuous. These areas are not
expected to be difficult to rehabilitate,
as adjacent non-burned habitats may
contribute sufficient reproductive units to
re-colonize the affected areas. In the long
run, these areas may even contribute to
habitat patchiness and heterogeneity
and may increase local biodiversity.
However, larger and continuous areas
were also burned, mainly in the northern
upper Galilee (Birya Forest and Naftali
Ridge) and in the Golan Heights. In these
areas, habitat recovery may be slower,
with a higher danger of infiltration of
invasive species and longer term loss of
biodiversity.
www.environment.gov.il
>Forest renewal strategy calls for about
one third of the burnt areas to be left
to renew themselves naturally, another
third to be renewed using a combined
approach and another third to be renewed
by means of an active planting program <
For the most part, the burned vegetation
is expected to recover slowly, depending
on the composition of the soil, the
composition of local pre-fire vegetation
and the existence of a local unharmed
seed bank. Problems that may threaten
the burned areas include increased risks
of invasive plant species and proliferation
of pyrophytic species, soil loss, mainly
during the first winter after the fires, until
herbaceous cover develops and repeated
fires that may deplete the seed bank
and regeneration potential within and
surrounding the burned areas.
Preliminary Strategy for Forest
Renewal
Based on accumulated experience
and research, the JNF has drafted a
preliminary outline strategy plan for the
renewal of burnt forests, which includes
damage assessment and data analysis,
general and detailed management plans,
a fuelwood supply plan to the general
public, a renewal plan, infrastructure
treatment, a monitoring plan and fire
resistance planning. In parallel to the
ecological plan, the JNF prepared a social
and public participation plan, which
includes tree planting, voluntary activities
and presentation of the renewal strategy
to the public.
In a nutshell, JNF’s renewal strategy calls
for about one third of the burnt areas to be
left to renew themselves naturally, without
or with minimal intervention; another
third to be renewed using a combined
approach which incorporates natural
regeneration and selective plantings of
native species or special conifers such as
cedars; and another third to be renewed
by means of an active planting program.
Major emphasis will be placed on research
and monitoring, and, in fact, a soil erosion
monitoring program in one of the hardest
hit areas, the Birya Forest, has already
begun. In addition, a forum of researchers
and nature professionals will accompany
the JNF throughout the entire renewal
process.
In a document entitled “A Renewal
Strategy for Burnt Forests in the Northern
Region: Guidelines and Recommended
Actions,” Paul Ginsberg, Director of the
Forest Department of the Northern
Region and Israel Tauber, Director of the
Forest Management, Information and GIS
Department of the JNF, write: “This disaster
has presented us with an organizational
opportunity and challenge to implement
the principles of sustainable development
and sustainable forest management (SFM)
as the policy adopted by the KKL-JNF’s
Board of Directors in Dec. 2004.” Time will
tell if the principles of sustainable forest
management – incorporating ecological,
social, economic and intergenerational
principles - will indeed be implemented
in coming years in the rehabilitation of
the burned forests of Israel’s north.
Ant carrying pine seed after fire/photo: Yael Horowitz
27
 ISRAEL BIKE TRAIL:
A DREAM IN THE MAKING
All bike photos: Shahar Solar
A mountain bike trail through Israel may well be a reality in 2010
Will the year 2010
see thousands of
bikers traverse Israel
in the first ever “Holy
Land Rally”? The
answer is a definite yes, according to a
plan now being drafted by the Nature
and Parks Authority, the Jewish National
Fund (JNF) and other stakeholders,
including the Ministry of Environmental
Protection, relevant ministries, local
authorities, local associations, biking
clubs and others. The cross-Israel bike
trail will pass through nature, landscape,
heritage, and archaeological sites,
kibbutzim, moshavim, villages, and cities,
from the snowy Mount Hermon in the
north, through Jerusalem, the Dead Sea
and Masada, to the Red Sea in Israel’s
south.
Plans are now concentrating on:
> Choosing the route linking the greatest
possible number of tourist attractions
along the trail.
> Linking the trail to the regional bike
trail network established by the JNF
and others, and allowing bikers to
choose routes with various degrees of
difficulty.
28
28 ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN
Several working groups are now hard at
work making sure that the trail is planned
and implemented in the most optimal
manner possible – whether in terms of
route, design, tourism or safety. Working
groups have been established on such
subjects as routes, difficulty levels of trails,
design and signposting, passage through
agricultural areas, passage through urban
areas, tourism, safety, economic aspects
and legal aspects.
Promotion of Bicycle Trails
On their part, different authorities in
Israel are facilitating the biking initiative.
The Ministry of Transport has drafted
guidelines on the uniform planning
of biking paths, while the Ministry of
Environmental Protection issued a
call for proposals for the planning and
implementation of biking trails in the
sum of 5 million shekels in 2005. The
result: requests for support for 135
projects by 80 local authorities, of which
31 have been approved – 20 for planning
and 11 for implementation of the trails
themselves.
It is estimated that there are about
100,000 bikers in Israel, with new bikers
joining each year, as evidenced by
increasing bike sales – reaching some
20% each year, according to the Central
Bureau of Statistics. The results are all
around. More and more people are
opting to spend their leisure time riding
bikes in open spaces, parks and riversides.
In the Yarkon Park or Ben Shemen Forest,
for example, biking is a major attraction
and in the Ayalon Park, now in planning,
bikers are already making their way along
biking trails.
Israel’s unique attractions – wonderful
climate all year round, bird-watching
| vol.32
center, and abundance of archaeological,
historical, religious and natural sites, all in
Bicycles for Jerusalem
close proximity to one another – make Nearly twenty bodies banded together to
Israel a biker’s paradise, both for native sponsor Israel’s first professional meeting on
Israelis and tourists alike. bicycle oriented planning, which took place
in the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies on
December 18, 2006.
Why Bike?
Bicycle commuting saves money, helps The meeting, targeted at planners, architects,
conserve land resources, promotes cyclists and the general public addressed
health, is good for the environment and such issues as:
is fun to boot. According to Shahar Solar,
environmental planner at the central ❍ Dilemmas in planning bike trails
region of the Environmental Protection
Ministry and coordinator of the urban ❍ The Israel Bike Trail
environment team of the Israel Bike Trail,
“the bicycle paths of the planned Israel ❍ Biking, public transportation and hiking
Trail will also serve bicycle commuters
on their way to and from work, thus ❍ Health aspects of biking
helping to reduce traffic loads and air
Israeli poster at the Velo Mondial 2006,
pollution, especially during rush hours. a major bicycle planning conference.
The trail is planned to include entrances
to cities throughout its entire length, thus
providing maximal ‘door to door’ service
to day commuters.”

As far as the Ministry of Environmental

Protection is concerned, encouraging
bicycle commuting is a“win-win”situation.
Not only will it benefit the environment
and reduce the use of polluting vehicles,
but it will strengthen the link of the Israeli
public to open spaces, riverbeds and the
unique landscapes of the country.

www.environment.gov.il 29
 INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

ISRAEL IN AN INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT:

A LOOK AT CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS IN 2006

Eco-Procurement Deserts and Seminar on of Environmental Protection.

European experts provided
Seminar in Israel: Desertification Environmental an overview of sustainability
Israel’s first seminar on - Challenges and Risks in Financial assessment and specific
eco-procurement in local
Opportunities: Institutions: examples of the application
authorities was held at Tel of the methodology, which
More than 200 participants The Ministry of Environmental
Aviv University in May 2006 in were followed up by general
from 30 countries attended the Protection and the European
conjunction with the 2nd Local discussions and examples from
November 2006 international Commission sponsored a
Government Conference: Israel.
conference, organized by the Seminar on Environmental
Urban Sustainability Track.
Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Risks in Financial Institutions in
Experts from ICLEI – Local
Governments for Sustainability, Desert Research (BIDR) at Ben- Tel Aviv on December 7, 2006. Aqua Israel –
Gurion University of the Negev, The round table dialogue Ecology 2007:
presented the concept of eco-
together with the United brought together regulators,
procurement, and mayors of
financial institutions, the The eleventh annual
two cities in Australia and the Nations Convention to Combat
business sector and civil international exhibition for
UK shared their experience. Desertification  – Annex IV
society to increase their infrastructure, environment
nations and in collaboration
awareness of managing and water technologies was
with the Israeli Ministry of
Conference on the Foreign Affairs. environmental risks and foster held in December 2006 in
corporate responsibility and Tel Aviv’s Trade Fairs and
Clean Development Convention Center. Some 50
reporting.
Mechanism and Israeli companies exhibited
Emissions Trading: their technologies and about
Sustainability 6000 professionals visited the
Israel’s first conference on
the CDM and on emissions
Assessment of exhibition.
trading as a means of financing Government
projects for the reduction of Decisions and of
greenhouse gas emissions Strategic Sustainable
took place in May 2006 within
the framework of the Energy Development
Convention and Exhibition Plans in Local
2006. Government:
Photo: T. Van Dobbenburgh

Photo: Robbie Ribeiro

The two workshops, held in

Photo: Ilan Malester

Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in

December 2006, were a joint
initiative of the European
Union (SMAP) and the Ministry

30
30 ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN | vol.32
And Abroad:
Ninth Special Session
of the UNEP Governing
Council/Global Ministerial
Environment Forum: This
ministerial-level  meeting,
held in Dubai in February
2006, focused on energy
and environment; chemicals
management; and tourism
and the environment. Israel
participated in this high level
environmental policy forum for
the first time as a representative
of the Western European and
Others Groups (WEOG) in the
Governing Council.
International Conference
on Chemicals Management:
Participants in this conference,
held in Dubai in February 2006,
adopted the Strategic Approach
to International Chemicals
Management (SAICM). SAICM
includes the Dubai Declaration
on International Chemicals
Management, an Overarching
Policy Strategy and a Global
Plan of Action. Governments
agreed to aim to use and
produce chemicals in ways that
minimize adverse effects to
health and the environment.
www.environment.gov.il
14th Annual Session of
the UN Commission on
Sustainable Development:
An Israeli delegation attended
the New York meeting in May
2006, which focused on four
themes: energy for sustainable
development, industrial de­
ve­lopment, air pollution/
atmosphere, climate change.
In preparation for the meeting,
the Ministry of Environmental
Protection published a new
edition of “The Path toward
Sustainable Development in
Israel.”
Second Intergovernmental
Review Meeting of the GPA:
In mid-October 2006, Israel
presented its achievements
in the reduction of land-
based pollution and coastal
cleanliness to participants in
the 2nd Intergovernmental
Review Meeting in Beijing,
China. The meetings are a
forum where governments
and other stakeholders meet
to review the status of the
implementation of the Global
Programme of Action for
the Protection of the Marine
Environment from Land-based
Activities (GPS).   place in Nairobi in November
3rd Euro-Mediterranean
Ministerial Conference on the
Environment: This conference,
held in November 2006 in
Egypt, was the first Euro-Med
ministerial conference to
be held outside the EU. The
main topic was the “Horizon
2020 Initiative” to de-pollute
the Mediterranean Sea from
the main polluting sources.
A ministerial declaration, the
“Cairo Declaration,” which
includes a common vision
and timetable of actions for
Horizon 2020, was adopted by
consensus.
Eighth Meeting of the
Conference of Parties to
the Basel Convention: This
meeting was convened at the
end of November 2006 in UNEP
headquarters in Nairobi to seek
solutions to the problems of
hazardous waste. An important
part of the conference was a
“World Forum on E-Wastes” to
confront the reality of growing
quantities of end-of-life
computers and other obsolete
electronic equipment.
United Nations Climate
Change Conference: The
second meeting of the Parties
to the Kyoto Protocol and
the twelfth session of the
Conference of the Parties took
2006. Six thousand participants
from 180 countries attended
the conference. Main topics
included: what happens after
the protocol’s first commitment
period ends in 2012 (post-
Kyoto regime) and adaptation
to climate change.
PREVAIR-INERIS
Eighteenth Meeting of the
Parties to the Montreal
Protocol on Substances
that Deplete the Ozone
Layer: Some 550 participants
gathered in New Delhi from
October 30 to November 3,
2006 to discuss such issues
as critical uses of CFCs and
methyl bromide in developed
countries, environmentally
sound destruction of ozone
depleting substances, effec­
tive monitoring of trade in
ozone-depleting substances,
compliance questions and
the relationship to the Kyoto
Protocol.
Middle East Workshop on
Petroleum Underground
Storage Tanks Management:
This workshop, funded by the
US and organized by the US
Department of Agriculture and
the Environmental Protection
Agency, brought Jordanians,
Palestinians and Israelis to­
gether in Turkey in November
2006 to discuss petroleum
underground storage tank
management. Professional dis­
cussions were facilitated by
American and Turkish experts
and dealt with such issues as
country overviews, prevention
and detection of releases
from petroleum underground
storage tanks, remediation and
cleanup and case studies.
31
SMAP Clearing House
An internet portal to navigate the Mediterranean “Sea” of information
on the environment
Rosh Haniqra coast/photo: Ilan Malester
A web based information system has been
developed by the Short and Medium-
Term Priority Environmental Action
Programme (SMAP) within the framework
of the Regional Euro-Mediterranean
Partnership and in partnership with
national stakeholders.
The new environmental portal includes
environmental information on projects,
Mediterranean countries, regional
information and environmental
management tools on the following
SMAP priority areas: Integrated Water
Management, Waste Management, Hot
Spots (both polluted areas and threatened
biodiversity elements), Integrated Coastal
Zone Management, and Combating
Desertification.
Environmental information on
Mediterranean countries, including Israel,
which is already available on the Clearing
House, includes short descriptions and
32
32 ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN
web links to: environmental organizations,
research institutions and environmental
NGOs, environmental legislation and
action plans, environmental publications
and reports and environmental projects.
For further information:
http://smap.ewindows.eu.org
Israel Signs Cooperation
Agreement with UNEP
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and the United Nations
Environment Programme signed
a Memorandum of Cooperation
on January 17, 2007 in Nairobi,
Kenya on the Implementation
of the Bali Strategic Plan for
Technology Support and Capacity
Building.
The Bali Strategic Plan is an
inter-governmentally agreed
framework for strengthening
the capacity of governments
in developing countries and
countries with economies in
transition to coherently address
their needs, priorities and
obligations in the field of the
environment. It was adopted
by UNEP’s Governing Council in
February 2005.
Israel, represented by MASHAV,
the Center for International
Cooperation in Israel’s Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, in partnership
with UNEP, will focus on
providing expertise and technical
know-how through joint
capacity building programs on
environmental topics, including
management of water resources,
water scarcity, sanitation, waste
management, food security and
agriculture, management of dry
lands, desertification and land
degradation.
| vol.32
 ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION
Licensing of Businesses Regulations
(Installation of a Noise Meter in
Reception Halls and Gardens), 2006
Regulations on restricting noise in
reception halls and gardens came
into effect on November 9, 2006.
They are designed to protect the public
and particularly the population defined
as sensitive to noise at high levels, such
as children and the elderly. According to
the new regulations, the maximum noise
level permitted in places where people
are seated at events is not to exceed 85
decibels.
Halls and gardens are required to install
a noise meter. If noise levels exceed 85
decibels, a warning light will blink for
thirty seconds, after which the electricity
supply to the amplifier system will be
disconnected.
Additional requirements relate to
calibration and adjustment of the noise
meter, reporting procedures to the
licensing authority and signs informing
that the hall or garden has installed and
operates a system for noise restriction.
Amendment to the Maintenance of
Cleanliness Law – Landfill Levy, 2007
On January 16, 2007, the Israel Knesset
unanimously approved an amendment
www.environment.gov.il
to the Maintenance of Cleanliness Law
which will require landfill operators to pay
a levy for every ton of waste landfilled.
The law, hailed as an important milestone
in the move toward integrated waste
management in Israel, will go into effect
on July 1, 2007.
The rate of the levy will be set according
to the type of waste - mixed waste, dry
waste, waste residues after sorting,
sludge, stabilized industrial sludge and
construction and demolition waste,
and will be implemented gradually and
incrementally over a period of five years.
Thus, for example, the landfill levy for one
ton of mixed waste, typical of municipal
solid waste, will be 10 shekels in 2007, 20
shekels in 2008 and will reach 50 shekels
in 2011 while the landfill levy for one ton
of sludge will be 24 shekels in 2007 rising
to 120 shekels in 2011.
The landfill levy aims to internalize the
full and real costs of waste treatment and
disposal – including land consumption,
air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution
and waste transport – thus paving the
way to increased recycling and recovery.
It will be paid into a dedicated account
of the Maintenance of Cleanliness Fund,
with the financial resources going for
the development and establishment
of recycling and recovery facilities, as
alternatives to landfilling.
Waste tires in Hadera/photo: Ilan Malester
Tire Disposal and Recycling Law, 2007
A Tire Disposal and Recycling Law,
enacted on January 23, 2007, aims to
reduce the environmental nuisances
caused by improper tire disposal in Israel
while promoting waste tire recycling.
According to the law, tire producers and
importers will be responsible for the
disposal and recycling of used tires at
graduated rates each year, with recycling
totally replacing disposal after July 2013.
The law also requires owners of tire sale,
repair and storage businesses to remove
used tires from the site and transfer them
to approved uses under the law such as
producers or importers, or recycling and
retreading establishments. Furthermore,
the law imposes storage obligations
on such businesses to prevent the
accumulation of water in the tires and the
subsequent creation of environmental
nuisances. The law also relates to reporting
obligations and to the appointment of
inspectors for enforcement purposes.
The law is based on the principle of
“producer responsibility” which places
responsibility for the environmental
impact of a product on the producer or
importer of the product. The rationale
behind this principle is that the producer
or importer should be responsible for the
entire life cycle of a product from cradle
to grave.
33
 WITH A FACE TO THE PUBLIC
CLEAN UP THE WORLD
IN ISRAEL
Some 100,000 volunteers participated in Clean Up the World Day in
Israel in October 2006
What happens when 1000 campgrounds
and about 1000 square kilometers of
forests are opened to the public – at all
times and at no cost? The policy decision
of the Keren Kayemeth Le’Israel-Jewish
National Fund (KKL-JNF) to invest millions
of shekels in forest trails, recreational
facilities and parks for public benefit has
brought about a dramatic increase in
visitor numbers. However, the success
story has carried a high price tag
– an equally dramatic increase in the
quantity of litter left behind. Realization
Collecting garbage bags/photos: KKL-JNF Photo Archive
34
34
that heavy investments in cleaning
up Israel’s forests year after year were
simply not enough to overcome the
problem led the KKL-JNF to seek a more
comprehensive and long-term solution.
The organization set out to change
public behavior patterns and promote
a new culture of cleanliness. The idea:
to make every visitor to the country’s
forests and parks responsible for the
litter he or she generates, to make each
and every person a partner in the effort
to keep the country clean.
ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN
With the goal in place, a central question
remained: how to motivate Israelis to
go out and clean up their environment?
The answer was to link Israel’s effort to
the international effort to clean up the
world. As a member of Clean Up the
World since 2001, KKL-JNF called on the
Israeli public to join some 35 million
volunteers from over 120 countries on
the third weekend of every September
in a global effort to make the world a
cleaner place. The connection with an
international organization and a global
| vol.32
Clean up in the Bedouin sector
Clean up in Acre
happening proved itself. From a modest
beginning, in which 2,500 volunteers
participated in a local cleanup campaign
in the Beersheba River Park in 2001,
the campaign skyrocketed to 100,000
volunteers in a nationwide effort to clean
the country in 2006.
Just as importantly, alongside the
constantly expanding geographic
coverage of Clean Up the World Day
in Israel, the KKL-JNF has initiated an
ongoing information and education
campaign aimed at inculcating a
culture of cleanliness into Israel. Several
additional clean-up campaigns have
therefore been organized at other times
of the year, in cooperation with green
and other organizations.
The success of the effort is evident not only
in the growing numbers of participants,
but in the fact that the subject has been
placed on the national agenda. Recently,
the chairman of the Knesset Interior
and Environment Committee, MK Raleb
Majadele, tabled a bill that would create
two national “Clean-Up Days” in Israel:
one corresponding with Clean-Up the
World Day in September; the other with
Environmental Quality Week, held in
Israel during the Passover (April) season.
The bill has already gained the support of
50 Knesset members.
www.environment.gov.il
Clean up in Umm El Fahm
World Clean Up Day 2006
World Clean Up Day 2006 was a major
happening in Israel, with the participation
of 100,000 students, soldiers, and adults
from every section and every sector of the
country – Jews, Arabs, Druze, Bedouin,
religious and secular, new immigrants
and veterans, residents of large cities
and urban renewal neighborhoods.
The campaign, in cooperation with the
Neighborhood Renewal Department of
the Ministry of Construction and Housing
and the Ministry of Environmental
Protection, and under the sponsorship
of JNF Australia, the Australian Pratt
foundation and Makhteshim Agan,
focused on two areas of the country:
the north, with special attention to
forest renewal in the wake of the fires
caused during the Second Lebanon War
and the south, with the participation
of tens of thousands of students and
residents including the Negev’s Bedouin
community. The wide participation of the
Bedouin community, a full seventh of the
Negev’s Bedouin population, in cleaning
up streets and neighborhoods, points to
the growing environmental awareness of
this sector. This enthusiasm is prompting
the KKL-JNF to seek new ways of raising
environmental awareness. One idea is a
traveling educational caravan that will
make its way among local authorities
distributing information materials in
Arabic, thus furthering the dissemination
of the environmental message.
KKL-JNF World Chairman Efi Stenzler who
toured the cleanup sites during Clean
Up the World Day said that “awareness
of cleanliness can generate a positive
change in the way young people
perceive the environment in which we
live. KKL-JNF invests major efforts in the
education of youth and in strengthening
their link with environmental subjects.” He
added that “the hundreds of thousands
volunteers who have mobilized in the
cleanup demonstrate the bond of both
the country’s youth and its adults with
the environment and their concern for
a green environment. We expect similar
numbers of participants, if not more, in
the massive tree planting campaign that
we will hold on Tu B’Shvat (Arbor Day),
the JNF’s holiday.”
> World Clean Up
Day 2006 was a major
happening in Israel,
with the participation
of 100,000 students,
soldiers, and adults
from every section
and every sector of
the country <
35
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