First of Its Kind Survey on Household Waste in Israel Published

Jerusalem, 6 August, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s Ministry of Environmental Protection today, Wednesday, published the findings of the first survey of its kind in Israel on the composition of household waste in green bins (excluding lumpy waste, trimmings and streams separated at source). The survey provides a snapshot of the amount of waste in Israel and its composition.

Key data:
Amount of waste per capita – The amount of waste thrown into the green bin in the population on average is 0.73 kg per day per capita.

Waste components in green bins – The most prominent component in the Israeli trash can is organic material originating from the kitchen, accounting for approximately 39% of the total weight of waste. The proportion of organic waste originating from the kitchen in the trash can decreased compared to the previous national waste survey, conducted in 2012-2013 (44%).

Packaging waste is separated at source – Only about 6% of packaging waste produced in households is collected in designated bins. This figure reinforces the need to expand the distribution of recycling bins near green bins and increase public awareness to increase the rate of separation for recycling.

The implications derived from these data are that the potential for recycling and landfill prevention, as a result of optimal implementation of the Packaging Law, is far from being realized, and most of the potential lies with local authorities and residents’ homes, said the Ministry.