An end to the era of holes-in-the-ground

Israel's Environment Ministry shut down in the 1990s hundreds of unregulated and environmentally-damaging 'hole-in-the-ground' waste dumps. The last two, Retamim and Rishon LeZion, were recently closed following legal actions by IUED.

Muncipal landfills in Israel today are mostly centralized operations equipped with the latest technology and environmental safeguards. However, in densely populated Israel, new residential development is encroaching on former landfill sites and property buyers are unaware that their new homes may be situated next to an unguarded environmental time-bomb.

Closed landfills - a dangerous legacy

 

Dozens of large-scale municipal garbage dumps where hundreds of thousands of tons of solid waste were buried over four decades have now been closed. Operated in substandard conditions lacking insulation, drainage, gas ventilation and other basic environmental safeguards, they continue to threaten natural resources and the health of local residents.

 

Fewer than a dozen closed landfills have undergone any remedial action. The rest have been left to contaminate air, soil and groundwater for generations to come. 

 

IUED is working to bring about a national, concerted policy on rehabilitation of contaminated landfill sites. In May 2004, we petitioned the High Court of Justice demanding a comrpehensive plan for tackling disused landfills. (Follow link below for more details).