Weekly Update 47

August 1, 2025

Hello, everyone.

Two topics in this newsletter, both related to the environment.

• First, some new information I discovered this week regarding the disappearance of the brown bins—specifically, the suspension of organic waste collection and the requirement to dispose of it in the regular green bins.
• Second, the importance of shade in cities and why not enough trees are being planted in public spaces in Zichron Ya’acov during the current term.

First, new and important revelations regarding the suspension of organic waste collection/the brown bins

Last week’s newsletter was dedicated to how the major garbage collection overhaul was implemented—without a proper campaign, without the work of professionals. Just one video from the mayor, and that’s it. Centralized rule.

This week I was interviewed on the regional radio station about this flawed process. The recording is in the post you uploaded to Open Forum. As always, it’s important that you visit and comment.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1bgHPtorGy/

Following the newsletter and the post, many residents contacted me. Everyone is furious about the discontinuation of organic waste collection. After 14 years of getting the public used to recycling, they’re going backward. Once again, the large, buried bins will stink, and we will suffer from it. So I decided to look into the matter further and discovered important information regarding the very decision to discontinue the brown bins—information that was not shared with council members or the public.

It turns out that in recent months, the Ministry of Environmental Protection was willing to accommodate Zichron Ya’acov and provide partial subsidies for the separate collection of organic waste. However, the treasurer and the council head insisted on full funding and were unwilling to compromise. And this is a tragedy for generations to come.

If the council wanted to save money on waste collection, perhaps it would have been better to review the waste collection contract with the current contractor. I’ve been trying to do this for a year without success!! A year ago, I asked the treasurer and the council head for the contract, and they refused to give it to me.

Another new fact: it turns out that the plant in Afula, where all the trash is now being sent, has been caught cheating and is not separating the organic waste from the rest of the trash as required. Here is the headline from The Marker:

Veridis to Return NIS 50 Million in Grants Following Criminal Suspicions at Organic Waste Facility

Following an investigation into criminal offenses at the waste treatment facility, the company is required to return grants it received from the Ministry of Environmental Protection 

https://www.themarker.com/markets/2025-04-21/ty-article/.premium/00000196-5875-da35-a1d7-fbf5b3330000

I also learned that even if the plant does separate the organic waste, it’s not the same separation we did at home. The best method is household separation—our separated waste went to a plant that turned the organic waste into fertilizer spread on fields and crops. The plant in Afula is unable to separate it this way—the organic waste it separates goes to a regular landfill (if the plant doesn’t keep cheating…). This isn’t true recycling.

It pains me to write this, but such an important decision was made while withholding information from council members and exercising poor judgment in deciding to cut funding specifically from this budget line.

When will we get more shade in Zichron Ya’acov’s public spaces?

Shade is not a luxury; it is an essential part of a community’s “infrastructure.” The climate crisis, global warming, and massive wildfires are not just headlines; they are a reality that will affect our lives in the coming decades. According to the State Comptroller’s report and everything each of us sees on the ground, the state of urban shade is extremely poor and requires a comprehensive solution.

So what’s happening here in the council? There are many areas where movement on sidewalks and various thoroughfares is possible in shaded areas, but at the same time, many walking areas lack shade. It’s not just walking routes that need shade—public activity spaces do too. And in Zichron Ya’acov, there isn’t enough shade.

During Ziv Deshe’s previous term, many initiatives were undertaken, some in collaboration with and led by volunteers. Additionally, the Environmental Quality Committee, which I chaired until about a month ago, addressed this issue and even submitted a framework for an action plan. Here are the actions taken in the past:

• A street tree survey was conducted in collaboration with volunteers, Ramat Hanadiv, and the Council, and over 2,500 street trees were surveyed and categorized by species, size, condition, etc. The data was collected via an app developed in partnership with Ramat Hanadiv.
• Based on the data, locations were identified where additional street trees were planted, with an initial focus on pedestrian routes leading to public and educational institutions (hundreds of trees were planted).
• In new neighborhoods as well, adjustments were made to infrastructure planning and additional planting pits were added (for example, in the Moradot HaBeer neighborhood), and many trees were planted.
• Protruding tree roots were trimmed to preserve the trees and allow for their continued growth
• Trees were restored and added in many areas of play and sports facilities in playgrounds and schools.
• Shade structures were installed at playgrounds lacking natural shade: Nili Amphitheater, Hita Amphitheater, HaHoresh Amphitheater, play areas in Ya’abetz and Yishiva Pelech, and at the Moshava High School. The same applies to public sports fields—on Tashach Street, at the Democratic School, on Sarah Road, at the Nili School, and at the Skatepark complex.

As chair of the Environmental Quality Committee until recently, I worked to secure a donation of 100 trees from the JNF. The trees were supposed to be distributed to residents who would commit to planting them on their private property near the sidewalk so that pedestrians could enjoy the shade. The council did not see fit to budget a few thousand shekels for the truck needed to transport the trees. And the idea fell through. Now that the council head is the committee chair, perhaps he will see fit to approach the KKL again, revive the initiative, and find the funds for transportation.

Many municipalities are constantly announcing plans to plant hundreds and thousands more trees in their areas. These are detailed plans presented to the public, including the specific locations where the trees will be planted. I hope our council will also launch such an initiative and allocate funds for it, because currently there is no such plan. I will continue to monitor developments on this issue.