The firm Negev Ecology has announced the inauguration of a plant near Kibbutz
Mishmar Hanegev that will treat “fatty” waste – sewage containing fats, organic
matter and minerals.
The first of its kind in the region, the Harov site
will receive waste from gas stations, garages, food manufacturers, other
factories and army bases, the company said.
While the facility has
already begun to receive material from local gas stations, hotels and
restaurants, the company aims to bring in municipal sewage, as well runoff from
the 130 future IDF bases slated to encompass a huge chunk of the
Negev.
“We can treat tens of thousands of cubic meters per year of sewage
and leachate whose source is in the South,” Nati Paz, CEO of Negev Ecology, told
The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday, “and can save the Israeli economy millions of
shekels involved in the transportation costs of shipping the sewage to the
center of the country.”
While the technology is similar to that being
used in the Center and North, the treatment facility closest to the Negev is 100
kilometers away, in Rishon Lezion, Paz said. By having a local site, companies
and towns can save the money they would have spent on transporting tens of
thousands of cubic meters of waste each year, and also reduce greenhouse gases
emitted by the trucks.
“We are proud to be the first to provide a
comprehensive and systematic solution toward improving the environmental
protection here in the South,” Paz said.
Millions of shekels went into
constructing the facility, which was certified and supervised by the
Environmental Protection Ministry and the Health Ministry.
It operates in
accordance with government water regulations, the company said.
After the
fatty sewage undergoes treatment, the water will be reused in agriculture –
primarily for wheat and potatoes – and the company will sell the oil to
factories, Paz told the Post. Negev Ecology will use the remaining organic waste
for compost.
The hope is that as the system proves itself, the company
will be able to expand the site’s capacity and “multiply the system” to serve
the Negev’s needs, Paz added.
“It’s required by law in Israel to recycle
wastewater,” he said.
“It’s not an option. So all the sewage
manufacturers must find a solution.”
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