April 1, 1997
In a move designed to “make the polluter pay,” according to Environment Minister Raphael Eitan, the Knesset passes the Environmental Enforcement Law, which provides clout for enforcing pollution and litter standards. Previous attempts at enforcing environmental laws failed to deter violators because of low fines and lax oversight.
The law creates substantial fines for violations of noise and air pollution limits and for illegally disposing of hazardous materials. In cases involving a commercial vehicle illegally dumping materials, both the operator of the vehicle and the company can have their licenses revoked.
The Environmental Enforcement Law is hailed by environmentalists, who see it as a necessary step in giving teeth to environmental protections. The week before the passage of the law, the Environment Ministry released a new marketing slogan, “People who litter are trash!”
Despite some criticism of the harshness of the proposed fines (300,000 shekels for air, noise or odor pollution and 600,000 shekels for hazardous waste), Eitan stresses that the measure brings Israel in line with the most advanced countries in terms of protecting the environment.
