Court Halts Closure of Arad's Only Landfill Amid Waste Crisis
The city of Arad faced a severe waste disposal crisis after the Ministry of Environmental Protection ordered the closure of the "Zohar" landfill, the sole facility accepting the city's household waste for its approximately 30,000 residents. The administrative closure order was issued without an alternative solution in place, exacerbating the national waste crisis.
Arad's municipality presented evidence in the Beersheba Magistrate's Court showing that the "Ef'a" landfill, already overwhelmed, could not accommodate Arad's waste, a fact the Ministry was aware of. Following a contentious hearing, Judge Avishai Cohen overturned the closure order, approving an agreement that allows Arad's waste, limited to 40 tons daily, to continue being deposited at the Zohar site until at least October 18, particularly through the High Holidays.
The Zohar landfill, operational for decades, was recently involved in a scandal where a private transport entity was suspected of forging weighing certificates. City officials uncovered this issue and filed a police complaint. The city subsequently removed the operator, whose business license had been renewed by the Ministry until 2030, and restricted operations to 40 tons of supervised municipal waste per day.
The Ministry's closure order, issued on August 17 and effective August 23, was criticized by the municipality for failing to address the disposal of Arad's waste post-closure. The Ministry's representative argued that Arad should find another site, claiming no other municipality faced such a problem.
However, a letter from the Ef'a landfill's CEO to Arad's city manager revealed significant operational challenges and an inability to accept new clients for over two years due to overwhelming waste volumes from across the country. The letter explicitly stated the Ministry's awareness of Ef'a's difficulties. The only other alternative, the Duda'im landfill near Be'er Sheva, is approximately 65 kilometers away, posing financial and environmental concerns.
Arad's Mayor, Yair Ma'ayan, committed to having a new landfill, approved by existing plans, operational by December 31. The court's decision allows continued use of the Zohar site until October 18, after which a Ministry representative will inspect the site to determine further operations until the new landfill opens. The Ministry of Environmental Protection did not provide a comment.
