Time to reduce plastic bag use

January 2007

 

IUED has been pushing the government to follow the growing international movement to ban or discourage plastic bag use because of their environmental impacts.

The Ministry for Environmental Protection conducted in January a study day for industry stakeholders, leading retailers, environmentalists and public representatives to discuss the options.

IUED's solid waste expert, Gilad Ostrovsky, presented an IUED Green Paper which calls for measures to change public behaviors. Primarily, IUED would like Israel to adopt the so-called Irish model of a levy on plastic bags at retail outlets. In Ireland, plastic bag use dropped by over 90 percent in its first 18 months, with revenues going to recycling programs.

The study day was the first round in negotiations aimed at reducing plastic bag use in Israel.

The IUED Green Paper will be available here shortly.