May 2007
It was a win-win-win situation. As part of national Good Deeds day this week, IUED collected over 700 items of electronic waste (computers, TVs, phones, etc.) saving over 9 tons of hazardous waste from landfills – and, in just a few hours, saving the equivalent of 25 tons of greenhouse gases!
Thanks to Tel Aviv residents for participating! Thanks to the City of Tel Aviv for providing the special collection points in Rabin Square and at the Reading car park, and hats off to Ruach Tova Volunteers Organization which mounted the Good Deeds day.
List of regular collection points
An effective waste management system must also relate to changes in the waste stream that reflect modern consumption patterns. IUED is working to advance policy provisions that separate electronic waste - e-waste - from the waste stream.
With a petition to the High Court of Justice filed in October 2004, IUED is calling upon the Environment Minister to create regulations for the appropriate treatment of e-waste (discarded electrical appliances and electronic goods such as computers, mobile phones and televisions) before it is too late to prevent a serious public health risk.
In March 2005, IUED organized Israel's first professional symposium for discussion of e-waste, its disposal and recycling and the implications for the economy and environment.
It is estimated that nearly 100,000 tons of electronic waste are thrown away in Israel per year, yet authorities have barely begun to relate to environmental hazards posed by e-waste (computers, televisions, mobile telephones, etc.) that, according to a European Union assessment, represent only single-figure percentages of landfill volume while presenting 70% of its toxicity. Electronic devices are a source of PBTs (Persistent, Bioaccumulative Toxins) that linger in the environment, spreading through air, water, and soil and entering the food chain.
Because of these dangers, the US, Australia and the European Union have all enacted stringent legislation forcing manufacturers and distributors to cooperate in the recycling, reuse and safe disposal of electronic waste.
To date, Israel has no special provision for electronic waste disposal. Old computers and other electric equipment are buried in landfills along with household and commercial waste, and there is no real data on the quantity and method of disposal of electronic waste.