General03:00 · 2h ago

Northern Israel Advances Polluting Landfill Expansion Despite Waste Revolution Plans

Calcalist

Translated & summarized from Calcalist by baba

Key points

01Northern Israel approves 2 million-ton expansion of Ablaim North landfill for 17 years.
02Landfilling causes pollution and Israel's landfill rate is 80%, much higher than OECD and Europe.
03Minister Silman promotes a waste revolution but ministry supports landfill expansion.
04Current landfill capacity in the north suffices for eight years; new sorting facilities will reduce waste.
05Environmental groups and Knesset member Yael Ron Ben Moshe oppose the expansion due to environmental concerns.
06Experts warn landfill expansion undermines recycling and energy recovery projects' viability.

In this story

People

OrganizationsNorthern District Planning and Building Committee, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Knesset, Sami Shamoon College of Engineering, Environmental Groups

PlacesNorthern Israel, Ablaim North landfill, OECD, Europe

The story · English

While Environment Minister Idit Silman promotes a "waste revolution" focused on recycling and energy recovery, local authorities in northern Israel are pushing to significantly expand the polluting Ablaim North landfill site. The Northern District Planning and Building Committee recently approved a plan to increase the landfill's capacity by about 2 million tons over 1,100 dunams, providing waste disposal for up to 17 years. This move risks undermining efforts to develop recycling and energy recovery facilities in the region.

Landfilling is a cheap and quick waste solution but causes soil and groundwater contamination, greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, and consumes large land areas. Israel's landfill rate stands at 80%, far above the OECD average of 42% and Europe's 35%. Despite Minister Silman's recent statements about transforming waste into economic growth, the Ministry of Environmental Protection has yet to submit progress reports on the waste revolution and appears to support landfill expansion.

Critics argue the expansion is unnecessary, citing data that northern Israel currently has about 9 million cubic meters of landfill capacity available, sufficient for eight years, with annual needs around 1 million cubic meters. Advanced sorting facilities opening in the region are expected to reduce landfill waste volumes. Knesset member Yael Ron Ben Moshe and environmental groups have opposed the expansion, claiming it lacks a factual basis regarding environmental and planning impacts and will cause environmental harm.

Professor Adi Wolfson from Sami Shamoon College of Engineering warns that the landfill expansion could hinder the development of more sustainable waste treatment facilities. She notes that local authorities may prefer cheaper but more polluting landfill solutions, jeopardizing the financial viability of recycling and energy recovery projects. The Ministry of Environmental Protection declined to comment on the issue.

Read the original at Calcalist