The Ministry of Environmental Protection Is Launching an Information Campaign in Arab Society Against Waste Burning

The Ministry of Environmental Protection is launching these days an information campaign for the local authorities in Arab society, with the aim of raising awareness regarding the severe dangers to health and the environment from waste burning.

Idit Silman, Minister of Environmental Protection: “Waste burning is a dangerous phenomenon that harms first of all the residents’ health – children, the elderly, and the most sensitive populations. It is impossible to come to terms with a reality in which waste is burned in the heart of localities. The campaign we are launching in Arab society places emphasis on adapted information, shared responsibility, and cooperation with the local authorities, alongside determined and uncompromising enforcement. Waste is not burned – it is removed in a regulated manner. This is how we protect health, the air we breathe, and the quality of life of us all”.

Waste burning – whether it is domestic waste, agricultural, or whether it is waste of businesses – creates a severe hazard to health and the environment. The smoke emitted from fires such as these contains toxic and carcinogenic substances, which harm the respiratory tract and the immune system, and are liable to cause diseases and long-term harm to health, particularly among children and sensitive populations.

The Ministry developed a comprehensive information kit containing designated messages for farmers, for business owners, for stall owners in markets, and for the general public. The kit includes a wide variety of information materials for the local authorities for downloading and implementation, among them ads, posters, banners, billboards, and content for social networks.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection emphasizes that the responsibility for maintaining clean air and public health is shared by all. By means of a combination of information, enforcement, and cooperation with the authorities, the Ministry continues to act to reduce waste burning hazards and to improve the quality of life and health of the residents and the environment.