LATE UPDATE: As we were publishing this premier edition of AmazingIsraelis.org, an ecological disaster was unfolding in the Jewish state: a massive oil spill along its Mediterranean coast. The event is being investigated by Israeli authorities. More details will be coming in the next edition.
Israel has a major problem with plastic pollution. Indeed, according to The Israel Union for Environmental Defense, Israelis produce twice the international average of plastic waste per person per day. The pollution is caused in part by the widespread use of throwaway plastic bags, food containers, forks, knives, spoons, and cups. Happily, the Israeli public is becoming increasingly aware of the issue, and the country has begun to put programs in place designed to greatly reduce the sources of this pollution.
Quote: “It’s therefore not surprising that a recent Tel Aviv University study found an alarming amount of microplastic particles in marine organisms in the Eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea “as a direct result of human use of plastic.” Microplastics in water, fish and sea salt also get ingested by people. Finally, many Israelis have decided enough is enough. Government officials and private citizens say it’s high time to acknowledge the problem and change wasteful behavior.”
Sources: Wikipedia, Israel21c.org
Read “Fed up with the waste, Israel is going plastic-free” >>
Watch “Israeli technologies tackling plastic pollution” [2:35]. >>
Watch “Israel Environment: Sea squirts sucks up plastic from the sea” [1:43]. >>
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