Israely Enviroment Bulletin 2007 - Vol 32

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Israel Ministr y of Environmental Protection

ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN Volume 32/May 2007

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Marine Quality

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Solid Waste Management

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Restoring Burned Forests

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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 2007. First Look News in brief about a motley of environmental issues. Marine Quality: Cleaner Seas and Coasts An in-depth look at the positive results of Israel’s efforts to prevent marine and coastal pollution. 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. 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 Galilee of asbestos. 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 conservation. Restoring Burned Forests in Israel’s North A look at preliminary strategies for forest renewal in the north of Israel, in the wake of the Second Lebanon War. Israel Bike Trail: A Dream in the Making Plans to establish a mountain bike trail which will traverse Israel from north to south. International Cooperation A host of conferences, with Israeli participation, dealt with the environment in 2006. Environmental Legislation Regulations on restricting noise in reception halls and gardens, approval of a landfill levy and a new law on waste tire recycling. With a Face to the Public Public participation in Clean Up the World in Israel.

Inquiries should be addressed to: Israel Environment Bulletin P.O.B. 34033, Jerusalem 95464, Israel Telephone: 972-2-6553777, Fax: 972-2-6535934 http://www.environment.gov.il/english E-mail: shoshana@environment.gov.il

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Dear Reader: Volume 32 of Israel Environment Bulletin looks at some of the main issues on Israel’s environmental agen­ da in 2006 along with priorities for action in 2007 as expressed by Mr. Shai Avital, Director General of the Ministry of Environmental Pro­ tection. Our new section, First Look, highlights some of the major environmental happenings of 2006 while subsequent articles in this Bulletin focus in more depth on priority issues – whether protection of the marine and coastal environment, management of Israel’s solid waste or green, energy efficient building in Sakhnin. In 2007, top priority will be placed on promoting integrated solid waste management in Israel, and recent developments, including approval of a Master Plan for Solid Waste Management and enactment of legislation on a landfill levy and tire disposal and recycling, should go a long way toward facilitating progress in this area. Alongside its efforts on the national level, Israel is part of the global community, and as such, takes an active part in international efforts to protect the environment. Regional and international cooperation with both organizations and states is an important component of Israel’s environmental agenda, as demonstrated in its active involvement in efforts to protect the Mediterranean Sea and participation in a host of international workshops and conferences, as outlined in this Bulletin. To stay updated about other environmental developments in Israel, please visit our English website

www.environment.gov.il/english Shoshana Gabbay Editor

Production: Publications and Information Unit Ministry of Environmental Protection Design: Studio Gideon Dan, Jerusalem

ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT Cover photo: IlanBULLETIN Malester

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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

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Blossoming flowerbeds at Beit Hashita/photo: Elad Zohar


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 courtordered 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

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< Lake Kinneret/photo: Ilan Malester

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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 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

Eilat fish cages/photo: Ilan Malester

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

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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


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

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.

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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

› 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

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2006


CLEANER SEAS AND COASTS

Haifa coast/photo: Ilan Malester

MARINE QUALITY:

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

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<

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Examples of Reduction of Pollution Load in 1998-2004 Pollutant Indicator

Suspended Solids

Source Discharging to Sea

Annual Load 1998

Annual Load 2004

% Reduction

All except Shafdan

14,900

4,900

67%

Kishon industries(1)

3,900

81

98%

Agan Chemicals

880 (4)

12.8

99%

All except Shafdan

15,650

6,760

57%

Kishon industries(1)

2,500

80

97%

All

2,500

950

62%

Kishon industries(1)

453

33

93%

ton/year

All

2,000(2)

287

84%

ton/year

Kishon industries(1)

3,045

7.4

99.8%

All

208

69

67%

All except Shafdan

96.6

10.8

89%

Kishon industries(1)

78.5

1.36

98.3%

Electrochemical Industries (EIL)

147.6(3)

3.6(5)

97.6%

0.02(2)

0.0009(5)

99%

All except Shafdan

2,910

1.8

99.9%

Haifa Chemicals

2,600

0.2

~100%

Haifa Chemicals

741

0

100%

Units

ton/year

BOD (organic matter)

ton/year

Ammonia as N

ton/year

Nitrate as N Phosphorous as P Total heavy metals

Mercury

ton/year kg/year mg/l

Cadmium

kg/year

Acid (H+)

ton/year

(1) Except the Haifa wastewater treatment plant; (2) in 1999; (3) in 1995; (4) in 1994; (5) in 2003

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National Monitoring Program for the Mediterranean Sea: Main Findings for 2005 Total metals Total metals without Shafdan

2,501.6

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

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

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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.

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

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information and explanation campaigns, integrated with enforcement activities, in cooperation with inspectors of the Marine and Coastal Environment Division and Nature and Parks Authority, widescale 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 70% of the time.

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>Industry in Israel has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in reducing pollution to the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea and Dead Sea< 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 landbased 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<

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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

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

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MORE ON ISRAEL’S POLLUTION BUDGET FROM LAND-BASED SOURCES

Ilan Malester Land-Based Sources Coordinator, Marine and Coastal Environment Division

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 of professional guidelines, side by side with enforcement. The pollution budget allows us to set priorities for action which are 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.

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 landbased 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

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Green plastic bottles await recycling at Aviv Ltd./photo: Yoav Goell

PLANNING FOR INTEGRATED 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

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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

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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.

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.

Public Participation in Planning for Integrated Solid Waste Management

Priorities for Action

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

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

Policy Steps and Recommendations

Recovery: > Imposing a landfill levy which will internalize the external costs of landfilling.

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 tools to facilitate the process by such means as legislation and enforcement, economic incentives and persuasion and assimilation. Following are some examples recommended policy steps:

of

Reduction at source: > Encouraging reduction at source, mainly among industrialists and commercial enterprises. > Reviewing potential models of levies on manufacturers for material use.

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.

> Advancing planning for a thermal treatment system. > Promoting paper, cardboard and plastic recycling.

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

prevent environmental damages of all kinds.

> Advancing composting. Landfilling: > Advancing dedicated landfills for dry waste (with low degradable organic matter). > Continuing the development of landfills for municipal solid waste. > Rehabilitating abandoned dumps.

> Promoting reduction at source among the general public.

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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

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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.

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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 Deposit Law on Beverage Containers went into effect, and the end of 2005. Some 330 million beverage containers were collected in 2005.

› ›

Some 50 million beverage containers larger than 1.5 liters were collected from 6000 cage-like receptacles dispersed throughout the country. Sixteen collection points for electronic waste are dispersed in ten local authorities throughout the country. 85 tons of used batteries were collected in 2005. In the first eight months of 2006, 80 tons of used batteries were collected for landfilling in the hazardous waste treatment site at Ramat Hovav.

Estimates of Recycling in Israel (2005) Type of Raw Material

Total Recycled Waste/Year (tons)

Percent of Recycling out of Total

Non-Ferrous Metals

29,037

0.48

Electronics

10,500

0.18

Yard Waste & Wood

236,972

3.95

Glass

30,000

0.5

Organic Material

356,602

5.94

Miscellaneous

7,063

0.12

Ferrous Metals

465,210

7.75

Paper and Cardboard

255,138

4

Plastic

28,100

0.47

Tires

1000

0.02

Total

1,419,622

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MOVING TOWARD INTEGRATED SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT Israel has a statutory National Outline Plan for Solid Waste Treatment. Why was it necessary to prepare a master plan on solid waste management as well? The National Outline Plan for Solid Waste Treatment (NOP 16) was approved by the government in 1989 and was amended on different occasions during the Ilan Nissim 1990s. However, the background Director, Solid Waste documents of this outline plan Division forecast processes until the year 2000 and did not envision the scarcity of space for landfilling. Our recognition that landfill volume in Israel is fast running out prompted us to approach the National Planning and Building Board with a request to facilitate the establishment of Material Recovery Facilities and to simplify the statutory planning process which is long and bureaucratic. In turn, the National Board called for the preparation of a master plan which would analyze existing conditions and present recommendations for integrated solid waste management until the year 2020. On a concrete level, what will be the outputs of the new master plan? The outputs will include legislative steps and operational and 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 farreaching influence on the entire system. I believe that the policy

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outlined in the master plan will be translated into recovery and recycling facilities in the field over the coming years. What is the ministry doing to facilitate the move to integrated waste management? Fortunately, we have seen several of our initiatives come to fruition recently. Firstly, and most significantly, an amendment to the Maintenance of Cleanliness Law makes the landfill levy obligatory. The economic studies which first identified the landfill levy as the right tool for reducing the quantities of waste reaching landfills and increasing waste recycling and recovery were carried out as far back as 1996. I believe that the landfill levy is the most significant achievement in the field of solid waste treatment over the past ten years. Without doubt this achievement will advance Israel towards a new era of recycling and recovery. At the same time, two additional developments will help pave the way toward recycling: enactment of the Tire Recycling Law and approval by the cabinet and the Israel Knesset in a first reading of the expansion of the Deposit Law on Beverage Containers which will allow some 600 million more bottles, 1.5 liters and up, to come under the umbrella of the law. In parallel, we will continue to grant financial aid to material recovery facilities, to recycling centers and educational programs and to other recycling initiatives. In our opinion the combination of recycling with thermal treatment and anaerobic digestion should bring us close to our 50% recovery target.

Te’enim landfill/photo: Ilan Nissim

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MOVING FROM LANDFILLS TO RECOVERY FACILITIES

Tal Shohat Director of Landfills and Transfer Stations, Solid Waste Division

The National Outline Plan for Solid Waste has proved itself. It has seen the closure of hundreds of dumps and their replacement by stateof-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 recovery processes.

Therefore, we are now in the midst 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, 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.

Decorating garbage dumpsters in Acre/photo: Ilan Swissa

Plastic bottle receptacle/photo: Shaul Almog

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

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Home with asbestos roof hit by missile. Manual removal of asbestos/photo: Zeev Varga

TACKLING THE 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.

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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, work methods, sampling and more.

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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.

Encapsulation to prevent asbestos release/photo: Shai Pe’er

What did the Ministry of Environmental Protection Do?

In parallel, the Ministry of Environmental Protection published newspaper ads (in both Hebrew and Arabic) calling on anyone whose asbestos property was damaged by rocket hits to apply to the Property Tax office and to treat the structure according to stringent asbestos

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 meters of asbestos cement in industrial buildings, agricultural structures, roofs of private buildings, educational institutions, parking areas and army camps throughout the country cannot be underestimated. 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.

Direct missile hit of asbestos roof/photo: Zeev Varga

www.environment.gov.il

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, especially among children.

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BUILDING GREEN Green building in Sakhnin/photo: Ryad Dwere

IN SAKHNIN

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

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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

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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:

energy independence, environmental sustainability and economic feasibility.

✿ Design

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.

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

Upgrading the Energy Efficiency of the Green Building

The Green Building Project: Facts and Figures

The pilot project, supported by MEDENEC, aims at upgrading the energy efficiency of the building by adding 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!

> Total annual energy consumption of the green building today is 68,000 kWh/yr in comparison to 246,000 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.

Expected Benefits of the Green Building

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.

Building workshops using local stone/photo: Ryad Dwere

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).

> 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.

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Towns Association for Environmental Quality Beit Natufa Basin The TAEQ is dedicated to increasing environmental awareness and community involvement by means of projects on environmental education and research, sustainable development, and coexistence. Recent and planned projects include:

ID

Green building in Sakhnin/photo: Ryad Dwere

> 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.

* 24 24

{

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

{

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{

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THE VISION OF THE TOWNS ASSOCIATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY When did you first become interested in environmental issues? I first learned about local environmental units, set up by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, in 1992 during my graduate studies in environmental engineering. At the time, I approached the mayor of Sakhnin with the idea of setting up Israel’s Hussein Tarabeah first environmental unit in the Director, TAEQ Arab sector. As a result, a regional environmental unit was set up in 1993, which was transformed into a statutory Towns Association for Environmental Quality in 1996. I have been privileged to serve as director of the TAEQ since its establishment. What were your first priorities for action after establishing the TAEQ? Firstly, we initiated an environmental survey to map the state of the environment in the six Arab villages and towns belonging to the TAEQ. We discovered that the settlements in the Arab sector were undergoing accelerated development, with little or no attention to environmental issues. There were problems in nearly every area - inadequate infrastructure, sewage and waste pollution, inappropriate environmental planning, nuisances and neighborhood squabbles related to the presence of animals within the settlements, and more.

We also realized the importance of wise planning and development and took an active part in planning committees, making sure that environmental considerations are integrated and assimilated within municipal planning and industrial development. Today, the fingerprints of the TAEQ are visible throughout the region. No project can be approved without an environmental review. What was your vision upon establishing the TAEQ? Is it being fulfilled? My first thought was to establish an ecological demonstration center which would operate as a closed loop, with treated wastewater going for irrigation, biogas going for energy production, sludge for compost, and so on. I saw the project as a bridge for peace between Jews and Arabs, Israel and neighboring countries, and this is exactly what happened. I am touched by the wonderful feedback from the residents of the area who turn to us to help solve environmental and social problems. We took the lead in initiating and advancing a multitude of projects and the 50,000 visitors to our demonstration center attest to our success. What better tribute than to know that even under the most difficult political circumstances, meetings between Palestinians and Israelis continued at our center. Every day is a new day for me. My vision is that the environmental village, which is now being built, stone by stone, will continue the momentum which has already been initiated and will promote cooperation and dialogue which will bring peace between person and person, between people and the environment.

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 in every walk of life.

www.environment.gov.il

Cooling towers – Malkafs/photo: Ryad Dwere

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Firefighting plane/photo: Klil Hadar

Naftali mountains after fires/photo: Michael Houri

RESTORING BURNED 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.

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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

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

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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.

>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.

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

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

www.environment.gov.il

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All bike photos: Shahar Solar

ISRAEL BIKE TRAIL: A DREAM IN THE MAKING 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.

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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

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center, and abundance of archaeological, historical, religious and natural sites, all in close proximity to one another – make Israel a biker’s paradise, both for native Israelis and tourists alike. Why Bike? Bicycle commuting saves money, helps conserve land resources, promotes health, is good for the environment and is fun to boot. According to Shahar Solar, environmental planner at the central region of the Environmental Protection Ministry and coordinator of the urban environment team of the Israel Bike Trail, “the bicycle paths of the planned Israel Trail will also serve bicycle commuters on their way to and from work, thus helping to reduce traffic loads and air pollution, especially during rush hours. The trail is planned to include entrances to cities throughout its entire length, thus providing maximal ‘door to door’ service to day commuters.”

Bicycles for Jerusalem Nearly twenty bodies banded together to sponsor Israel’s first professional meeting on bicycle oriented planning, which took place in the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies on December 18, 2006. The meeting, targeted at planners, architects, cyclists and the general public addressed such issues as:

❍ Dilemmas in planning bike trails ❍ The Israel Bike Trail ❍ Biking, public transportation and hiking ❍ Health aspects of biking Israeli poster at the Velo Mondial 2006, a major bicycle planning conference.

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

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INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

ISRAEL IN AN INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT:

A LOOK AT CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS IN 2006

Israel’s first seminar on eco-procurement in local authorities was held at Tel Aviv University in May 2006 in conjunction with the 2nd Local Government Conference: Urban Sustainability Track. Experts from ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, presented the concept of ecoprocurement, and mayors of two cities in Australia and the UK shared their experience.

Conference on the Clean Development Mechanism and Emissions Trading:

Deserts and Desertification - Challenges and Opportunities:

Seminar on Environmental Risks in Financial Institutions:

More than 200 participants from 30 countries attended the November 2006 international conference, organized by the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research (BIDR) at BenGurion University of the Negev, together with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification – Annex IV nations and in collaboration with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection and the European Commission sponsored a Seminar on Environmental Risks in Financial Institutions in Tel Aviv on December 7, 2006. The round table dialogue brought together regulators, financial institutions, the business sector and civil society to increase their awareness of managing environmental risks and foster corporate responsibility and reporting.

Sustainability Assessment of Government Decisions and of Strategic Sustainable Development Plans in Local Government:

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Photo: Robbie Ribeiro

Photo: T. Van Dobbenburgh

Israel’s first conference on the CDM and on emissions trading as a means of financing projects for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions took place in May 2006 within the framework of the Energy Convention and Exhibition 2006.

of Environmental Protection. European experts provided an overview of sustainability assessment and specific examples of the application of the methodology, which were followed up by general discussions and examples from Israel.

Aqua Israel – Ecology 2007: The eleventh annual international exhibition for infrastructure, environment and water technologies was held in December 2006 in Tel Aviv’s Trade Fairs and Convention Center. Some 50 Israeli companies exhibited their technologies and about 6000 professionals visited the exhibition.

The two workshops, held in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in December 2006, were a joint initiative of the European Union (SMAP) and the Ministry

ISRAEL ENVIRONMENT BULLETIN

Photo: Ilan Malester

Eco-Procurement Seminar in Israel:

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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.

Second Intergovernmental Review Meeting of the GPA: In mid-October 2006, Israel presented its achievements in the reduction of landbased 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). 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

www.environment.gov.il

“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 place in Nairobi in November 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 (postKyoto regime) and adaptation to climate change.

PREVAIR-INERIS

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.”

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.

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SMAP Clearing House An internet portal to navigate the Mediterranean “Sea” of information on the environment 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.

Rosh Haniqra coast/photo: Ilan Malester

A web based information system has been developed by the Short and MediumTerm 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

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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

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.

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ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION 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.

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.

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.

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.

Amendment to the Maintenance of Cleanliness Law – Landfill Levy, 2007 On January 16, 2007, the Israel Knesset unanimously approved an amendment

Waste tires in Hadera/photo: Ilan Malester

www.environment.gov.il

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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

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.

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

Collecting garbage bags/photos: KKL-JNF Photo Archive

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Clean up in Umm El Fahm

Clean up in Acre

Clean up in the Bedouin sector

World Clean Up Day 2006 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.

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.

www.environment.gov.il

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 <

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ENGLISH AND ARABIC WEBSITES NOW ONLINE www.environment.gov.il/english |

www.environment.gov.il/arabic

Looking for information about the environmental scene in Israel? Our constantly updated websites in English and in Arabic provide up-to-date information on environmental policy and activity. Our English website is constantly being expanded with updated information on: Key environmental topics Summaries of environmental legislation

Breaking news items

Environmental indicators

Information on NGOs in Israel

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