Waste Leaders: Seeds of change in Israel
Ilan Nissim
Israel has managed to make important improvements to waste management within a relatively short time-period by using both carrot and stick
Ilan Nissim
What’s the background of the situation?
In the 1980s there was no efficient regulation and Israel had a large number of uncontrolled and/or poorly managed waste dumps. There was a need for action and in 1989 the Government adopted a ‘National Masterplan for Waste Disposal’. The policy called for reduction of waste at source, reuse, recycling (including composting), waste-to-energy technologies, and landfilling. Due to the implementation of this policy, all the large dumps were closed, state-of-the art landfills were built, and recovery rates have increased from 3% in the beginning of the 1990s to almost 25% in 2006. Today more than 95% of the municipal solid waste is disposed and treated in an environmentally sound manner – in comparison to a mere 10% just a decade ago.
Israel generated approximately 6 million tonnes of MSW in 2006, (excluding C&D and hazardous waste). Recent waste composition studies (2005) indicate the predominant components (by weight) are: wet degradable organic matter 40%; paper and cardboard 25%; plastic 15%.
Which factors contributed to this fast development?
In 2006 a ‘Sustainable Solid Waste Management Master Plan’ based on integrated waste management was adopted. Based on the experiences from the past, Israel is using a number of different instruments – legal, financial and informative – to achieve its goals. The master plan presents a clear and comprehensive framework for solid waste management and is related to all stages of solid waste management, to all generators and to a wide range of treatment methods.
I believe this integrated approach with strong enforcement has allowed Israel to make these rapid improvements and we’ll be continuing with this approach in order to improve still further. Our carrot and stick approach has certainly proved successful.
Can you give examples of the carrot and stick approach?
Israel has chosen to solve its long-term waste problems through good enforcement with a mixture of waste treatment options. On one hand the National Master Plan for Waste Disposal forced the closure of dumps and non-compliant landfills, but on the other hand economic incentives were given for making the changes. Local authorities were given financial support to transport their waste to regulated sites. In return they were required to close the non-compliant dumps and, if necessary, we used legal proceedings to ensure this.
Another example is the newly introduced waste levy. In July 2007 a waste levy on waste going to landfill came into force. It generates an important amount of money which is reserved for building new infrastructure for waste recovery. The levy is to be introduced gradually over five years and when it is fully in place, at about 10 Euros per tonne, it will double the landfill gate fee.
Which areas are you looking to develop?
It is important that we continually upgrade and improve from a technical point of view. Our biggest closed landfill near Tel Aviv has installed landfill gas collection and energy recovery systems. Many of the other medium-sized landfills have also constructed or are planning to construct LFG collection systems.
Much focus today is on the recycling and recovery industry – it is an expanding sector. We are also seeing a shift from public to private operators. Traditionally ownership and operation of landfills has been in the hands of local authorities, but the private sector is getting far more involved in the operation of treatment facilities and waste transport. Private operators are also heavily involved in the waste recycling industry. We also want to see increased regional co-operation in order to find common solutions to waste management.
What are the concerns for the future?
From a regulator’s view one of the problems is illegal dumping, especially of construction debris. Much effort is made to ensure the establishment of authorized sites for construction and demolition waste and that the waste is transported to those sites.
Waste reduction and decoupling waste generation from economic growth are other challenges. We are therefore charging industry with the reducing the amount of waste it generates.
Costs and financing are another concern. There is likely to be a change for householders in terms of paying for the amount of waste disposed of, along with economic incentives to encourage recycling and waste prevention measures at both household and industrial level.
And in the longer term?
I think we are likely to see a change in how we view waste. There is a lack of material resources in Israel and as disposal of waste is becoming more expensive waste will become valuable. There are already good examples of this and we have only seen the start of this shift. And of course the debate on climate change will influence waste management policy.
Interviewer for the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA): Helena Bergman, ISWA Project Manager.
e-mail: hb@iswa.dk
Ilan Nissim, Israeli Environmental Protection Ministry, Director of Solid Waste Management Division, gives his view on the success and the future from a waste regulator’s perspective.
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