Israel’s Environmental Legislation

A curated list of key laws and strategic documents on waste and the circular economy — with short explanations and links to official sources.

Focus: source separation, bottle deposit, EPR (extended producer responsibility), e-waste, tires, landfill levy, food waste, and the national strategy to 2030/2050.

Table: key laws and documents (links to official sources)

No. Title / year Official link In brief
1 חוק שמירת הניקיון, 1984 — Cleanliness Maintenance Law NEVO · Gov.il (PDF) Core “cleanliness” law: anti-littering, municipal powers, fines.
2 חוק איסוף ופינוי פסולת למחזור, 1993 — Source separation (framework law) See the regulations and the current Ministry of Environmental Protection pages Duties of local authorities to establish systems for separate collection.
3 תקנות איסוף ופינוי פסולת למיחזור, 1998 — Regulations under the 1993 law NEVO (Cleanliness Fund, regs.) Standards/timelines/responsibilities for separate collection and recycling.
4 חוק הפיקדון על מכלי משקה, 1999 — Bottle deposit NEVO · Gov.il (overview) Deposit paid at purchase and refunded upon returning marked containers.
5 הרחבת חוק הפיקדון, 2021 — Expansion to containers >1.5 L Gov.il (FAQ) Since 01.12.2021, deposit also applies to large bottles.
6 חוק להסדרת הטיפול באריזות, 2011 — Packaging (EPR) NEVO · Gov.il EPR for packaging: fees, targets, reporting, PROs (e.g., Tamir).
7 חוק לטיפול סביבתי בציוד חשמלי ואלקטרוני וסוללות, 2012 — E-waste (WEEE) Knesset (PDF) · Gov.il Collection/recycling of electronics and batteries; ban on landfilling e-waste.
8 חוק לצמצום השימוש בשקיות נשיאה חד-פעמיות, 2016/2017 — Plastic carrier bags Knesset · Gov.il Paid bags in large retail chains to reduce single-use consumption.
9 היטל הטמנה (since 2007) — Landfill levy (amendment to the 1984 law) Gov.il (PDF) · Gov.il Levy per ton landfilled; revenue goes to the Cleanliness Fund.
10 חוק לסילוק ולמחזור צמיגים, 2007 — Tires Gov.il Producer/importer obligations for tire take-back and recycling.
11 אסטרטגיית פסולת 2030; כלכלה מעגלית 2050 — National strategy (2021–2030) Gov.il (CE) Targets to reduce landfilling and advance CE; a reference for cities.
12 חוק עידוד תרומות מזון (תיקון), 2024 — Surplus food donations Knesset (EN) · Bill → Law · Official text (PDF) Public bodies (≥500 servings/workday) must donate surplus food via NGOs.
13 Government decision (2022→) — Single-use ban in ministries/IDF Gov.il Transition to reusables; support for schools/kindergartens (dishwashers).
14 התוכנית הלאומית לצמצום אובדן ובזבוז מזון — National plan on food loss & waste Gov.il (PDF) Long-term reduction of food loss & waste; linked to the donation law.

All links are to official portals: NEVO (legal database), Gov.il (Ministry of Environmental Protection / Government), and the Knesset (laws and press releases).

Plain-language notes and what matters in practice

1) Cleanliness Maintenance Law (1984) core

What it is: a “constitution of cleanliness”: anti-littering rules, municipal duties, fines; the Cleanliness Fund operates under it.

  • Haifa: file complaints about illegal dumps/construction waste referencing this law; the city is obligated to respond.
  • Funding: the landfill levy (see below) goes into the Fund — a strong argument for investing in sorting/recycling.

Text on NEVO

2–3) Source separation: the law (1993) and regulations (1998)

What it is: local authorities must provide separate collection; regulations set standards/timelines/responsibilities.

  • In practice: if containers are overflowing or streams are not collected — you can cite the regulations and demand a fix.

Related regulations / Cleanliness Fund

4–5) Bottle deposit (1999) and expansion (2021)

What it is: a deposit is paid when you buy a drink and refunded when you return the empty container. Since 01.12.2021 it also covers large bottles.

  • In practice: shops must accept marked containers and refund the deposit (limits per day/quantity apply).
  • For residents/NGOs: back complaints about refusal to accept containers with the Ministry FAQ.

Text on NEVO

6) Packaging (2011, EPR)

What it is: extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging: fees, targets, reporting; PROs/operators (e.g., Tamir).

  • In practice: “orange containers” for mixed packaging; producers/importers must finance collection and recycling.

NEVO · Gov.il

7) Electronics & batteries (2012, WEEE)

What it is: collection/recycling of electrical and electronic equipment and batteries, a ban on landfilling e-waste, and “1-for-1” take-back when buying new equipment.

  • In practice: retailers must take back the old device when selling a new one; municipalities provide drop-off points.

Knesset (PDF) · Gov.il

8) Plastic carrier bags (2016/2017)

What it is: paid bags in large retail chains to reduce single-use consumption.

  • In practice: use reusable bags; the fee revenue is channeled (via a government mechanism) to environmental purposes.

Knesset · Gov.il

9) Landfill levy (since 2007)

What it is: the landfill levy makes landfilling expensive and economically unattractive.

  • In practice: a strong argument for investing in sorting/recycling instead of “cheap” landfills.

Gov.il (PDF)

10) Tires (2007)

What it is: producer/importer obligations for tire collection and recycling; compliance reporting.

  • In practice: tire shops must transfer tires into the system; illegal dumping is subject to sanctions.

Gov.il

11) National Waste Strategy 2030 / Circular Economy 2050

What it is: shifting away from landfilling toward sorting/recycling and CE models; guidance for regions and cities.

  • In practice: compare Haifa’s plans with the strategy targets; ask for published progress and open data.

Gov.il: Circular Economy

12) Surplus food donations (amendment, 2024)

What it is: public bodies serving ≥ 500 servings/workday must partner with an NGO and donate surplus food.

  • Haifa: hospitals, municipal kitchens, universities, some IDF units — likely relevant; NGOs must comply with food safety and reporting requirements.
  • In practice: initiate MoUs between institutions and local food banks; monitor implementation (using official texts).

Knesset (adoption) · Official text (PDF)

13) Single-use ban in government bodies (2022→)

What it is: a government-wide move away from single-use tableware in ministries/agencies (partly also in the IDF); support for schools/kindergartens includes dishwashers.

  • In practice: ready-made arguments and procurement examples for switching municipal institutions to reusables and equipment.

Gov.il: Plastic-free Government

14) National plan on food loss & waste

What it is: a long-term plan to reduce food loss and waste; logically linked to the 2030 strategy and the donation law.

  • In practice: you can attract funding for Haifa “food rescue” projects by linking them to national targets.

Gov.il (PDF)