Jerusalem – Plastic bags are a controversial product: They have come under attack by environmental organizations due to their environmental damage, but the public likes them. The necessary thing in this case is recycling – like the recycling of paper and plastic – and this has become possible in Israel, at least for the residents of the city of Raanana.
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The Raanana Municipality has initiated a first-of-its-kind experiment aimed at collecting plastic bags for recycling. Twenty-five special containers have been placed across the city, and the public has been asked to toss different types of plastic bags into them.
The company collecting the bags is Amnir Recycling Industries. Raanan Oz, the manager of the company’s subsidiary Amnir Plastic, told Ynet that plastic bags have not been recycled in Israel in the past as this is an unprofitable move for a commercial company.
He noted that if local authorities become a player in this field and participate in the operational costs, the process would be more feasible.
The collected bags are shredded and washed and undergo a “breaking down” process so that they can be used in the plastics industry as a raw material. The raw material is used to produce tubes for electric cables, buckets, large injection devices, plastic surfaces and boards for garden furniture, and more.
The company noted, however, that the financial profitability issue has yet to be solved, as the main raw material the Israeli plastic recycling industry is based on is wide plastic sheets used in greenhouses or ultra thin plastic stripes used to secure packages on wooden surfaces.
The issue of using plastic bags is also disputable in the world. Many countries in Europe charge a symbolic fee for the bags in order to encourage people to consume fewer bags. Simultaneously, the public is encouraged – in Israel as well – to begin using bags for multiple use from a cloth-like material.
In the past year the Knesset discusses several bills on the issue, and advanced a bill submitted by Knesset Members Dov Khenin and Esterina Tartman, which passed a third reading. The legislation process is expected to continue in the next Knesset.
Nothing more important to worry about?
Its not bad thing… recycling
excuse me! what recycling! leave them in the containers so that when it rains, the heimishe oilem can use them to cover their beeber hitten!
Such kind of experiments should be encouraged so that maximum amount of plastic can be recycled instead of producing it from virgin raw material. As we know plastic is a non-biodegradable so its always better to reduce its production which can be easily achieved by recycling.
picket fence