ENVIRONMENT WATCH - Authorities comb beaches for trash offenders

A dramatic drop was recorded in the cleanliness levels of the 'unrecognized' or unguarded beaches.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A dramatic drop was recorded in the cleanliness levels of the 'unrecognized' or unguarded beaches. Inspectors from the Environmental Protection Ministry and the Nature and Parks Authority have begun patrolling beaches and imposing heavy fines on litterbugs after a dramatic drop was recorded in the cleanliness levels of the beaches recently, reports local.co.il. The fines range from NIS 750 up to NIS 8,000. According to the report, the latest "Clean Beach" survey, taken towards the end of June, showed a dramatic drop in the level of cleanliness at Israel's "unrecognized" or unguarded beaches - most of the beaches in the country. The survey, which is taken every fortnight as part of a nationwide campaign to keep Israel's beaches clean, had showed a surprisingly high level of cleanliness around the country until the most recent finding. The report said that from the end of June inspectors from the ministry and the authority began patrolling the beaches and imposing heavy fines on people caught littering or leaving trash behind them as they left the beach.