Some 250,000 public school students and IDF soldiers will team up on Monday, 5 Tishrei 5774 to take part in the international Clean up the World event. They will concentrate on Jewish National Fund parks and recreational areas, which were reportedly left in an embarrassing state by Rosh Hashanah visitors.

Adding to the effort will be the special attention given to the Carmel coastline, which was also hit hard by the sudden wave of visitors. Walla News reports that an impressive 446 tons of garbage was cleaned from the shore, quoting Carmel sanitation officials. Officials explain amounts to the monthly amount of garbage thrown out monthly by all of the kibbutzim and moshavim that make of the regional council. Carmel Sela, who heads the Carmel Regional Council, added that the effort was made to get a handle on the coastline and restore it to the way it should be. He calls on residents and visitors alike to exercise responsible behavior and clean up after visiting and enjoying the area.

When it comes to generating trash Israelis lead many countries a study conducted by the OECD shows. The study states that an average Israeli family generates far more garbage weekly than families in other countries. Israel falls behind S. Korea, Switzerland, Canada, Holland, OECD nation average, France, Sweden, Australia, Spain, and Chile.

In Israel, an average family throws out 230 liters of garbage weekly. This is twice the average of France and 3.5 times Canada and almost 5 times Switzerland.

The OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) report does not mention family size.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)