Politics

An opening meeting for the work of the inter-ministerial team for the regulation of the waste sector will take place on Monday, January 12. Senior representatives from Government Ministries and Local Government will participate in the meeting, and the regulation work outline, which will be carried out in cooperation with all relevant parties, will be presented. 

Recently, and within the framework of staff work that has lasted for two years, the Ministry is leading an accelerated development of a national infrastructure array for waste treatment: The Ministry is initiating active planning of end-of-line facilities across the country, supporting the establishment and operation of facilities of various types, and advancing their planning in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance, the Accountant General, and the local authorities.

At the same time, the Ministry is advancing central legislative and regulatory moves in the waste field, including the Construction Waste Law, the Amendment to the Packaging Law, the Amendment to the Deposit Law, and additional regulation processes.

In the past year, the Maintenance of Cleanliness Fund recorded, for the first time, a volume of expenses higher than its income, among other things for the benefit of supporting end-of-line facilities, promoting a circular economy, and assisting local authorities in routine and emergency situations.

In light of this aggregate of moves, comprehensive regulation is required that will anchor the environmental principles of the waste sector, ensure a long-term budgetary source for their funding, and regulate the activity of all factors in the sector. Thus it will be possible to prevent damage to the environment, ensure fair activity, and provide quality and proper services to the residents of the State.

According to a Government Decision, an inter-ministerial team convened to examine the waste sector in Israel. The team will define goals as is customary in advanced countries, examine the organizational structure suitable for managing the sector, and formulate solutions for a modern, environmental, and efficient waste sector.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection will lead the regulation work with the aim of creating a waste sector based on advanced principles, including reducing waste generation, promoting a circular economy, producing energy from waste, and reducing landfilling according to the waste treatment hierarchy, simultaneously with maintaining functional continuity and reducing environmental crime.