New 'Barak' Recycling and Landfill Site to Open in Northern Israel
Translated & summarized from Davar by baba
A new recycling and landfill site, 'Barak,' near Haifa will open in late November to handle construction and bulky waste. The NIS 54 million facility aims to alleviate severe landfill shortages in Israel, where many sites are nearing capacity. The opening follows a collapse at the 'Ef'a' landfill and ongoing issues with waste disposal costs and illegal practices. The site's capacity of one million cubic meters may offer limited relief to the national waste crisis.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- The new 'Barak' recycling and landfill site near Haifa will open by the end of November.
- The facility was built with an investment of NIS 54 million to handle construction and bulky waste.
- Israel faces a severe shortage of landfill space, with many sites nearing capacity.
- A recent collapse at the 'Ef'a' landfill caused significant pollution and highlighted operational strain.
- Rising disposal costs are leading some authorities to use cheaper, potentially illegal waste management methods.
A new recycling and landfill site named 'Barak' at the Jalameh camp will commence operations by the end of November, the Ministry of Environmental Protection announced Tuesday. Located near the Shajar al-Amakim interchange, the facility will serve the city of Haifa and the Bay Area regional council. The project, which is in its final construction stages, was established with an investment of NIS 54 million, NIS 17 million of which was provided by the ministry. The site is expected to accommodate one million cubic meters of waste and will be operated and managed by the Bay Area Cities Association.
"We are continuing the waste revolution and supporting the establishment of end-of-the-line sites for handling various waste streams in Israel," stated Minister of Environmental Protection Idit Silman. "The 'Barak' site will be used for construction and bulky waste, providing a solution for proper waste management."
The opening of the Barak site comes amid a severe shortage of space at existing landfills across the country, many of which are nearing capacity. A State Comptroller's report from July 2025 indicated that Israel's remaining landfill volume was approximately 7.67 million cubic meters at the beginning of 2025, with annual disposal volumes ranging from 4 to 4.5 million cubic meters in recent years. The report also warned that the 'Ef'a' landfill handles nearly half of Israel's disposal capacity, creating significant strain.
In October, a leachate collection tank at the Ef'a landfill's number 7 cell collapsed, causing severe pollution. The landfill operators stated the collapse occurred after the facility had been receiving over 10,000 tons of waste daily, double its designed capacity, and was already operating at over 90% of its containment limit. This overload has also led to traffic jams of garbage trucks entering the site, prompting a widespread strike threat from haulers in October 2025 and minimal progress since. It remains unclear how much the Barak site's one million cubic meter capacity will alleviate the problem.
The ongoing strain on landfills is increasing waste disposal costs, which are passed on to local authorities. This price increase has led some weaker authorities, particularly in the Arab sector, to hire very cheap transport companies, often linked to crime syndicates, or resort to waste burning to cut costs. Minister Silman referred to this phenomenon as "environmental terrorism" during her tenure, but it reflects the ministry's failure to find additional solutions to the landfill crisis.