The program which began a few years ago was off to a very difficult start but it does appear more Israelis have become accustomed to recycling their plastic bottles. Actually, according to the ELA Recycling Company, 54% of plastic bottles in Israel were recycled in 2012, which is significantly higher than the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) average of 31.8%. This means Israel has moved ahead of Europe and the United States in plastic recycling. That number increased to 54% in 2013.

350 million 1.5 and 2 liter plastic bottles are deposited in over 20,000 recycling bins nationwide.

Efforts to increase recycling of other products including carton, paper, electronics, textiles, glass and more are ongoing in certain cities around the country too.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)