Design Strategies for sustainable solid waste management

Planning for urban solid waste management within the framework of sustainable development
raises several intra- and intergenerational issues such as public health and the livelihood of the
public. Sustainability of waste management is key to providing an effective service that satisfies the
needs of the end users. One pillar of sustainable solid waste management is strategic planning. It
links another pillar that of cost analysis of solid waste options, which also links to useful analytical
tools.

The Sustainable Solid Waste Management Master Plan was necessary despite the existence of
a National Outline Plan for Solid Waste Treatment (NOP 16), because the background
documents of the outline plan only forecast processes until the year 2000, and did not
envision the scarcity of space for landfilling. In fact, until the creation of the master plan,
Israels solid waste management system barely took into account the scarcity of land reserves
and of the dire consequences of land consumption. The unrealistic low cost of landfilling
prevented the introduction of advanced, innovative and more expensive methods of solid
waste treatment. The Solid Waste Master Plan, which sought to overcome this basic market
failure, analyzed existing conditions and presented recommendations for integrated solid
waste management until the year 2020.
Four public meetings were held during the preparation of the solid waste master plan, with
the participation of the Israeli Public Solid Waste Forum a 200-member group including
stakeholders from all sectors. Furthermore, due to the sensitivity of planning for thermal
treatment facilities and other recycling and recovery facilities in the vicinity of population
centers, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Samuel Neaman Institute for
Advanced Studies in Science and Technology initiated a project that was designed to create
an efficient and accessible mechanism for public participation.

Strategic Goals
The target of Israels solid waste policy is to minimize the costs both environmental and
economic of solid waste treatment. Environmental costs, which are not always easy to
quantify, are reflected in damages to quality of life, safety and human and environmental
health. Economic costs are reflected in the direct costs of land consumption and in the
financial and natural resources required for solid waste treatment.
Following are the strategic goals of the solid waste management master plan:
1. Sustainable management of land resources in Israel: Assurance that land consumption
for landfilling purposes will not hinder opportunities for physical, landscape, and
environmental development, while preventing economic and social damages (social injustice)
in all areas of the country.
2. Protection of the physical environment: Assurance that the solid waste management
system will be implemented in a way that will prevent environmental damages of all kinds.
3. Repair of past damages: Assurance that reversible historical environmental damages will
be reduced in all areas within five years.

4. Partnership and contribution to global environmental trends:Assurance that the policy

will transform Israel into an active and valued partner in international efforts to protect global
environmental resources.
Methodology of Master Plan
Israel's policy is based on three strategic "layers" or concentric circles:
1. Reduction at Source - the first/outer layer: This layer consists of the totality of steps
aimed at reducing the quantity of waste which is generated.
2. Recyling, Reuse, Recovery - the second/middle layer: This layer consists of the
totality of steps - including reuse, recycling and thermal treatment - aimed at diverting
the waste from landfilling toward its recovery.
3. Landfilling - the third/inner layer: This layer represents the last option for dealing
with the residuals which could not be diverted from landfills, and requires a long-term
approach for optimal landfill treatment.
Concrete Steps
The master plan outlines the policy steps that are necessary to achieve the goals of solid
waste treatment in Israel. Each step is made up of two components: actions that will serve as
"agents of change" to achieve the long-term goals of the master plan and tools to facilitate the
process by such means as legislation, enforcement, and economic incentives.
Policy steps were determined on the basis of several assumptions:
1. Critical need for alternative solutions, such as thermal treatment plants or recycling
plants, to the solid waste problem in the north and center of the country, where
landfill space is sorely missing
2. Concentration of recovery efforts on a small number of materials, which constitute
most of the weight and volume of the waste, specifically paper and cardboard,
plastic, and organic waste.
3. Focus on a small number of "large" and synergistic steps aimed at reducing the
volume of waste destined for landfilling
4. Preference to raising awareness and economic incentives
5. Implementation of the "polluter pays" principle as a central principle to guide
recommended steps.
6. Improved organizational and managerial methods to promote and implement the
solid waste management policy.

Concrete outputs of the master plan:

1. Legislative steps. These include the 2007 landfill levy, legislation for different waste
streams (Tire Recycling Law, Deposit Law, Electronic Equipment Law, etc.), and
more.
2. Operational and planning processes. Operational processes relate to composting
and other forms of waste recovery. Planning processes relate to a directive by the
National Board to amend NOP 16 in accordance with the recommendations of the

master plan, including zoning requirements for thermal treatment facilities and
guidelines on public participation. The idea is to shorten the planning track for some
projects by transferring the planning of recycling and recovery facilities from the
national to the regional level of planning.