Waste Crisis

Israel buries about 80% of its waste in the ground — almost double the average in OECD countries — and estimates suggest it will be only a few years before existing landfills are full. At the same time, billions of shekels collected through the "landfill levy" are sitting in the "Cleanliness Fund," and Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman is clashing with the professional staff in her...

The power struggle between the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Finance has led to the blocking of tenders for new waste treatment facilities. Israel continues to landfill 80% of its waste, nearly double the OECD average.