Updated: 4/09/2009
The Ministry of Environmental Protection launched a long-term project entitled "Clean Coast" on June 20, 2005. Its aim: to solve the problem of litter on Israel's beaches, a third of which is washed ashore from the sea and the rest left by vacationers and bathers. The project seeks to promote a variety of solutions to the litter problem along the country's Mediterranean coastline, especially its undeclared beaches - making up some 130 kilometers out of Israel's 190 kilometer-long coastline. The program is being implemented by the Ministry of the Environment in cooperation with the Nature and Parks Authority and the Union of Local Authorities in Israel. The Finance Ministry has allocated NIS 3 million a year for the first three years of the project. Components of the "Clean Coast" Project
The program includes several complementary components aimed at generating a change in public awareness of the importance of beach cleanliness: - Routine cleanup activities by local authorities.
- Enforcement against polluters of the coasts.
- Educational activities in the country's schools and youth movements.
- Information and publicity activities.
The aim of the first phase of the project is to obtain the commitment of local authorities to clean up undeclared beaches in their jurisdiction at least twice a week during the summer and several times a month during the rest of the year. Inspectors of the Nature and Parks Authority and of the Ministry of Environmental Protection are responsible for supervising the cleanups. Enforcement activities are initiated against local authorities which fail to clean their coastlines. International Acclaim for the Clean Coast Project Within the framework of a comprehensive report on the status of marine litter in seas and coasts, published by the United Nations Environment Programme's Regional Seas Programme and the Ocean Conservancy in April 2009, Israel is cited for its Clean Coast Program. In the Mediterranean chapter of the publication entitled "Marine Litter: A Global Challenge," Israel's Clean Coast Program, which has been operated by the Ministry of Environmental Protection since 2005, with the active participation of local authorities and the general public, is specifically mentioned. The publication notes that quantifiable results "showed a significant improvement in coastal cleanliness" and that this was achieved "in cooperation with inspectors of the Marine and Coastal Environment Division, wide-scale media coverage and long-term educational plans and cooperation with organizations."
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