- On Sunday, Israel’s new hard-right government said it had dropped a year-old tax that had significantly reduced the consumption of single-use plastic plates and utensils.
- Ultra-Orthodox families used plasticware three times more often than the rest of the population because they often have large families and low incomes, with many not owning dishwashers.
On Sunday, Israel’s new hard-right government said it had dropped a year-old tax that had significantly reduced the consumption of single-use plastic plates and utensils. The decision is in defiance of global efforts to reduce the amount of plastic waste polluting oceans. This decision also followed opposition to the plastic tax among ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties strongly represented along with the far right in the new governing coalition led by Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich said the tax was cancelled and urged customers to check that stores were lowering the prices of plastic wares. The spokesman noted that the tax was repealed for the coming year to help lower consumer prices amid high inflation.
Israel’s environmental protection minister said she had opposed ending the tax and hoped an alternative solution could be found. The ministry reported that sales of disposable plastic items were roughly 40% lower now than when the tax came into effect in November 2021. A parliamentary report from November 2021 found that ultra-Orthodox families used plasticware three times more often than the rest of the population because they often have large families and low incomes, with many not owning dishwashers.