BREAKING NEWS

Greenpeace slams lack of recycling programs in J'lem budget

Greenpeace criticized the 2012 Jerusalem municipality budget Tuesday, saying Mayor Nir Barkat did not put "even one shekel" into recycling and waste separation programs.
"The mayor did not find it apt to put even one single shekel into recycling or dealing with the serious issue of waste," Greenpeace recycling and toxicology campaign manager Yael Ifergan wrote in a statement. "Instead, he prefers to the focus on aesthetic infrastructure and beautifying the city."
"In Jerusalem, 93% of all waste is dumped into the Negev desert without recycling or treatment. Untreated waste pollutes groundwater, emits greenhouse gases, and is a great environmental hazard," she wrote.
The environmental organization said it had requested from the Jerusalem to implement waste separation programs for 2012, but got no answer.
Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat presented the 2012 budget at Kikar Safra on Monday, with a special emphasis on infrastructure, beautification, and sanitation in the coming year.
The city plans to invest NIS 925 million in developing infrastructure and an additional NIS 57 million for city beautification, including landscaping and improving city parks and playgrounds.
Melanie Lidman contributed to this report