Trash Talk

Preliminary data from the report Society in Israel, published by the Central Bureau of Statistics, indicate that only 43% of Jerusalem residents are satisfied with the state of sanitation in their area of residence, compared with 55% of Tel Aviv residents and 62% of Haifa residents. In recent years the Municipality of Jerusalem has undertaken more intensive action on the issue of recycling. In 2013 approximately 66,000 tons of waste were recycled in the capital, an increase of 61% compared with 2012. Simultaneously there was an increase of nearly 100% in the amount of organic waste recycled in the city during those years. 

 

The increased recycling of waste in Jerusalem stems, among other factors, from the addition of some 3,000 recycling containers (bins) throughout the city for the purpose of recycling metal, plastic, batteries, paper, and so on. Furthermore, in 2014 a large-scale recycling center was established in the Atarot industrial zone in order to collect waste from Jerusalem and its environs, and in August 2014 a facility for sorting and separating waste began operating within the zone. As of 2013, the percentage of recycled waste in Jerusalem – out of the total amount of waste collected – is 15.5%. With respect to the recycling of waste from recycling bins, the percentage of this type of waste that was recycled in 2012 is comparable to the national average, at approximately 7.5% (compared with 4% in 2009). 

The daily production of waste per resident in Jerusalem is among the lowest in Israel, measuring 1.40 kg per capita per day in 2012. This is approximately two-thirds of the figure for Tel Aviv residents and about 19% lower than the national average, which is 1.72 kg per capita per day. In Jerusalem and its environs nearly half a million tons of waste were collected in 2012, about half the amount collected in Tel Aviv and 10.1% of the total amount of waste collected in Israel. We hope that the opening of the new recycling center will result in a significant increase in the amount of waste recycled in Jerusalem. In recent years a project was launched that aims to encourage the use of compost bins in both private gardens and community gardens. As of 2013, some 1,700 families in three community councils were using compost bins, and this year more community councils are expected to take part in this project. For additional information on this project, please contact YarokBair@ginothair.org.il.