Disposal of construction waste in open fields is one of the most serious environmental problems in Israel.
Government Resolution No. 2927 from 2003 initiated a clear policy of recycling construction waste and using recycled raw materials by governmental bodies. The purpose of the resolution is to prevent the illegal dumping of waste and reduce the mining of valuable and biodegradable natural resources.
According to estimates of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the amount of construction and demolition waste produced in Israel per year is nearly 6.2 million tons. Unfortunately, the majority of this waste does not even reach recycling sites as it is dumped in open fields or buried in the ground.
The Israeli government and taxpayers ultimately bear the steep financial price of paying for the waste treatment. Furthermore, the damage to Israel’s beautiful landscape cannot be calculated. Data released by the Ministry of Environmental Protection revealed that the amount of waste illegally dumped in recent decades stands at over 100 million tons. The estimated cost of treating this waste stands at 5 billion shekels.
Recently, the Maintenance of Cleanliness Law was amended to change the legal liability – now, the polluter pays.
An entrepreneur, builder, or manager in a municipal corporation bears the liability and costs for the environmental damage. Managers who attempt to pass the liability to the project contractor who illegal dumped the waste may find themselves facing an indictment for a criminal offense and all the legal implications that this entails.
Another parameter that must be addressed, as government research has demonstrated, is the impending crisis regarding mining and quarrying materials in Israel and landfills across the country.
The construction industry needs over 50 million tons of raw materials per year. The prices of raw materials are expected to increase further, even though many privately-run quarries’ concession periods are set to expire over the next decade, while many mines are simultaneously expected to reduce activity or even close due to opposition from local residents. These processes have already begun in Israel’s north and are expected to further penetrate the country’s populous center. Utilizing 10 million tons of recycled materials per year will reduce mining and natural resource damage by 20%.
Transforming construction waste from an environmental nuisance to a resource at or near the source of production is an ideal solution to these very pressing issues. Existing recycling technology enables the optimal separation of minerals from waste and complies with all requisite standards for producing the raw materials needed for the construction and infrastructure industries. Recycled raw materials are easy to process and use. They are equivalent to the natural materials for all intents and purposes. Furthermore, recycled raw materials have significantly lower costs.
Sometimes, the recycled material contains properties that improve the quality and sustainability of the material for its specific purpose, such as Substrate B or C, as in accordance with Israeli Standard 1886. Such properties often exceed the quality of the corresponding natural material. Additionally, we can reduce emissions and pollutants by saving the unnecessary transportation costs of waste removal to remote landfills. This saves the overall costs of the construction.
t’s possible to achieve a circular economy within a relatively short timeframe if we’re able to raise awareness and knowledge and promote cooperation and integration among all relevant stakeholders, including regulatory institutions, academia and research organizations, public bodies focusing on businesses and consumers, private entrepreneurs, various relevant industries, and contractors and builders.
Existing infrastructure and institutions have already made it possible to operate quickly. Research and development, effective implementation, establishing standards, and building the necessary infrastructure and systems can all be done simultaneously by using the existing materials and transferring nuisances into sustainable resources.
Let’s take responsibility !
It’s feasible to pivot to recycling, use recycled raw materials, and promote the circular economy within the construction industry.
These efforts need to be undertaken in order to guarantee a sustainable country for ourselves and future generations.
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