Israel's waste tyre bill aims to slow spread of dengue fever

Jerusalem, Israel - Israel's Knesset has approved a waste tyre recycling bill at its first reading. The law was initially proposed as a private member's bill by Michael Nudelman of the far-right National Union party and later prepared in coordination with the Ministry of the Environment and with the agreement of the tyre sector. It aims to regulate the disposal and recycling of waste tyres in such a way as to prevent environmental degradation and save raw materials.

As in other countries, the drive to create a legalised disposal framework was driven by environmental concerns, but in Israel's case, there was the extra concern of removing breeding grounds for mosquitos carrying dengue and other diseases.

An Israeli government statement said, "In August 2002, a new species of mosquito, previously unknown in Israel, was found in a tyre lot at Moshav Ginaton near Lod during routine monitoring operations by the Ministry of the Environment. The new mosquito was identified as the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), a species which lays its eggs in water-containing receptacle such as tires. This mosquito is active during the day and is known for its painful bites. It is also associated with the transmission of dengue disease and other diseases. The spread of this mosquito from eastern Asia to other parts of the world is attributed to commerce in used tires."

The Ministry statement continued, "The proposed law is based on the principle of extended producer responsibility (EPR). According to this principle, the producer or importer of a product are responsible for treating the environmental problems that may be generated by the use of the product. It thus extends the responsibility of producers or importers for the environmental impacts of their products to the entire life cycle of the product. Accordingly, the bill determines that producers and importers of tires will be responsible for collecting used tires and transferring them to recycling. This responsibility is expressed in the determination of disposal and recycling targets for used tires."

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Press release from Israel's Environment Ministry