The CEO of the Union of Cities: "Israel is drowning in garbage, also in the Haifa and Kiryat region"

While Israel produces more garbage per day than any other country in Europe, the waste sites warn: there is no room!. The Israel Green Waste Conference, which will be held on Monday (18.3.24) at the Avniu Conference Center, will discuss the issue and formulate solutions that will affect every city or local council in Israel. Gil Livna, who also serves as the president of the conference, clarifies: "We are on the brink of a real environmental crisis."

Israel, who would have believed, produces more garbage per day than any other country in the European Union - 1.79 kg. There is only one problem with this figure: in stark contrast to the Western world, Israel for some reason continues to bury the waste: 75% of it is buried in the ground, Compared to 20% in the countries of the western world, this causes the waste sites in the south to warn: within six months we will no longer be able to accept waste for landfill.

Israel Green Economy Conference

The unbearable situation at Israel's waste sites and the poor treatment of recycling will be the focus of the Israel Green Economy Conference, which will be held next Monday (February 18.2.2024, XNUMX) at the Avniu Conference Center. This is with the aim of formulating and providing solutions in the field related to every resident of the State of Israel, wherever he is.

The CEO of the Union of Dan Cities (Hiraiya Cycle Park) and president of the Israel Economic Conference, Gil Livna, explains:

"The State of Israel is drowning in its own garbage, and the local authorities are on the way to losing control of their waste management. The reality of waste management - Israel 2024 - raises serious concerns that we are on the brink of a real environmental crisis. 

Quite a few prophecies of anger have been said and written over the years regarding the handling of waste in the country. These prophecies expressed a continuing frustration towards the changing national policy, which created confusion and uncertainty and led so far to zero achievements in the area of ​​reducing landfill and increasing recycling. For about two decades the State of Israel has set an ambitious goal to reduce landfilling from 80% today to 20% as is customary in the Western world, and there are no results. In fact, since a change (another change) in the national policy in the field of recycling organic waste into compost - agricultural fertilizer - the landfill rate will even increase to - 90%!".

Invalid as a daily reality

Transporting waste from the northern settlements to the southern landfills - about 300 km each way - has become a daily reality, along with the long queues at the entrances to these landfills. The solution is, of course, to separate the waste and recycle it. But the waste sorting facilities are in trouble - and not just financially.

This is how Gil Birva continues to explain:
"In the face of the ever-increasing amounts of waste to be landfilled, over the years the options for landfilling in the few landfills that still remain in Israel have been deliberately reduced under the illusion that if there is nowhere to landfill, the waste will somehow disappear. Well, the waste does not disappear, it grows year by year, and the load in the few remaining landfills threatens to overwhelm them Birch clarifies. "The transportation of waste from the northern cities to the southern landfills - 300 km in each direction - has become a daily reality and together with the long queues at the entrances to these landfills, indicate that the landfill crisis has been here for a long time and it is taking a very heavy environmental and economic toll."

Livna offers solutions to the issue:

"The State of Israel has proven that where there is a need, there is also a solution. Thus in the field of reclaiming sewage water for irrigation, the State of Israel is among the leaders in the world. The same is true in the field of desalination. The need for water led to investments and solutions. Such a need also exists in the field of waste, and that is the need for free and clean land for the development of the population , the economy and nature in the country. If we continue to consume the vacant lands with more and more landfill cells, we will lose natural areas and landscape and continue to crowd in the metropolises.

Green growth is very relevant in relation to how we handle our waste. Producing electricity from waste, producing agricultural fertilizer from waste, using recycled building materials - this is green growth. The day after, the central government and the local government must do the "right thing", and that is to stop playing the lime game. To renew the work of the inter-ministerial headquarters in order to lead to an action plan for green growth in cooperation with the private sector and civil society."

Special forums to promote the topic of green economy

Besides the discussion about the intolerable situation at waste sites and the poor handling of recycling in Israel, the conference will include special forums to promote the topic of a green economy, will open in "round tables" in the fields of environmental education, green transportation, environmental regulation, energy efficiency, green construction and more. 

In addition, panels and key discussions will be held at the conference with the participation of decision makers and opinion leaders in Israeli society, heads of industry, heads of authorities, managers of kibbutzim and moshavim, farmers, managers of environmental quality departments in authorities and factory managers, government officials, senior officials of the economy and economy, investors, exporters, importers, marketing chains , researchers, development personnel, media personnel and academia.