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Updated: 29/07/2010
On July 1, 2007, Amendment 9 to the Maintenance of Cleanliness Law, dealing with the imposition of a landfill levy, entered into effect. The objective of the levy is to reflect the true price of landfilling and to allow for fair competition with advanced treatment methods - recycling and energy recovery from waste. According to the law, the funds collected by means of the landfill levy are deposited in a separate and dedicated account of the Maintenance of Cleanliness Fund to be used for the development, establishment and greater efficiency of alternative means to landfilling which have a lesser impact on the environment as well as for their promotion. Thus, the funds collected from the landfill levy are returned to local authorities or the private sector for the purpose of establishing recycling and recovery infrastructures. The Ministry of Environmental Protection published criteria for the grant of assistance in 2008 and 2009. Rate of the Landfill Levy The rate of the landfill levy is set according to the type of waste - mixed waste, dry waste, waste residues after sorting, sludge, stabilized industrial sludge and construction and demolition waste, and will be implemented gradually and incrementally over a period of five years. Thus, for example, the landfill levy for one ton of mixed waste, typical of municipal solid waste, was 10 shekels in 2007, 20 shekels in 2008 and will reach 50 shekels in 2011 while the landfill levy for one ton of sludge was 24 shekels in 2007 rising to 120 shekels in 2011. The following rates will be in effect in 2011: Mixed Waste - 50 shekels/ton Dry Waste - 4 shekels/ton Residuals after Sorting - 4 shekels/ton Sludge - 120 shekels/ton Stabilized Industrial Sludge - 40 shekels/ton Construction and Demolition Waste - 4 shekels/ton
Price of Landfilling in Israel Today, about 75% of the waste generated in Israel is landfilled. Although landfilling as a waste treatment method consumes the most land and is responsible for high costs to the state, its price in >Israel is very low, both in terms of what is accepted worldwide and relative to other waste treatment methods. The low price to the user does not reflect the true costs of landfilling, including the cost of land, air pollution, pollution-related disease, risks to groundwater, etc. It also does not enable fair competition for advanced treatment methods, including reduction at source, reuse, recycling and waste to energy. Criteria for Assistance > The directorate of the Cleanliness Maintenance Fund has decided to allocate funds for the development, establishment and greater efficiency of alternative means to landfilling based on two categories: Treatment within municipal bounds: assistance to local authorities for the establishment of collection points for recycling, recycling centers, supporting information and educational activities and planning of recycling systems; Treatment outside municipal bounds: assistance to local authorities and the private sector for the establishment of regional treatment centers and advanced recycling solutions.
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