K A S H R U T . C O M_©

Israel A World Leader In Plastic Waste — And Of Course They Blame Chareidim

January 8, 2023 - from Matzav.com

"A parliamentary report from late 2021 found that charedi families, often from low-income communities, use three times more plasticware than the rest of the population. The tax was introduced from one day to the next, without any education or information, she points out.

"The higher prices on disposable plastic products hit the pockets of many Israelis, causing a 50 percent drop in the use of such plastic, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

"Plastic waste is the biggest pollution problem on Israel’s beaches. Between 70 to 90 percent of the waste found in the sea and sand is disposable plastic. And the beaches of Israel, those in and around Tel Aviv in particular, are among the most polluted by plastic in the whole Mediterranean region.

"The environmental organization Plastic Free Israel is behind many small and large beach cleanups that occur on a regular basis, and they noticed a significant difference. According to Evelyn Anca, one of the co-directors, last year’s taxes produced a reduction of 18 percent of plastic waste on the beaches."

Smotrich Cancels Tax on Disposables, Sweet Drinks

January 1, 2023 - from Jewish Press

"Newly-installed Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has cancelled Israel’s recent tax on disposable plastics and sweet drinks.

"The tax, implemented by the Bennett-Lapid government last year, has been the bane of large families, particularly in the Orthodox Jewish sector which is largely reliant on the utensils.

"Smotrich instructed the ministry on Sunday to cancel the tax as soon as possible.

"Upon taking office, Smotrich said he believes in free-market policies, and would continue to a large extent the steps already taken by his predecessor, Yisrael Beytenu chair MK Avigdor Liberman.

"The tax on plastic disposables and sweet drinks was taken by the previous government in a nod towards the need to preserve the ecology and children’s health, but has been seen by those who particularly rely on such products (the Haredi community) as selective and extreme."