3 billionth drink container recycled

NIS 750 million has been returned to the public through the Deposit Law, while 80,000 tons of sand were conserved by recycling the glass.

By EHUD ZION WALDOKS
The Recycling Corporation chalked up its three billionth drink container collected to mark Earth Day on Thursday. Since the law passed nine years ago, the corporation has collected 1.24 billion glass bottles, 1.06 billion cans and 810.8 million plastic bottles. That’s the equivalent in volume to eight Azrieli Towers.
NIS 750 million has been returned to the public through the Deposit Law, while 80,000 tons of sand were conserved by recycling the glass; 1.5 billion plastic fruit baskets were created from the plastic bottles as well, and the metal was recycled into buildings.
The Recycling Corporation also contended that in just 10 years Israel had reached recycling rates for bottles under the Deposit Law equivalent to that of Europe and the US – almost 70%. That’s a three percent increase since last year.
Most European countries, however, have moved beyond Deposit Laws to more comprehensive Packaging Laws.
In 2009, 468 million containers to which the Deposit Law applied werecollected: 160 million cans, 155 million glass bottles, and 153 millionplastic bottles. An additional 150 million liter-and-a-half bottleswere collected. The Deposit Law did not apply to them last year, butwill begin to apply to them in 2010.
Pupils and children recycled 2.6 million containers, up four percentfrom 2008. The Nof Tzurim School in Tzur Yigal collected the most –45,000. The kindergarten which collected the most was Gan Rakefet inKiryat Ono – 17.5 thousand.