By Renee Halpert

In the spirit of pre-Pesach cleaning, an electronic waste (e-waste) collection campaign was organized in Beit Shemesh and several locations in Mateh Yehuda a few days before the holiday began. Several hundred small appliances and electronic items, including computers, phones, tape recorders, microwaves, video machines, keyboards and electric cables were diverted from landfill sites and sent for reuse and recycling.

Locals brought their old or unusable electronic waste to the collection sites in Tzur Hadassa, Mesilat Zion, Srigim, the Vertigo Eco-Art Village at Kibbutz Netiv HaLamed Hey and the Mateh Yehuda regional council. In Beit Shemesh, 20 old computers were collected from Begin school. P.C. Integrity computer service and sales center in the Sheinfeld shopping center served as the Beit Shemesh collection site. As a rule, P.C. Integrity separates computer parts for reuse or recycling. Their generous offer to serve as a drop-off point was an obvious extension of their already environmentally-friendly policies.

The Mateh Yehuda Regional Council supplied a truck and driver to collect the waste from each drop-off point. The items were then  transferred to a recycling company which will dismantle the appliances and send valuable metal and other components for reuse and recycling. Hazardous waste, such as the batteries, will be sent for proper disposal.

To date, Israel has no special provision for electronic waste disposal. Old computers and other electric equipment are often buried in landfills along with household and commercial waste. Estimates suggest that nearly 100,000 tons of electronic waste are discarded in Israel per year. Authorities and policy makers are slow to address the environmental hazards posed by buried e-waste, such as heavy metals which leach poisons into the groundwater and soil, entering the food chain.

At the grassroots level there is a growing commitment to recycling in general and addressing the dangers of e-waste in particular. In the weeks before Pesach, e-waste collection campaigns were coordinated by volunteer organizations all over the country. The success of the local collection proves that residents are willing to act to reduce environmental damage. During the May 2008 e-waste collection campaign, over 450 kg of e waste was collected. This year the amount was significantly higher as more communities participated

The collection was coordinated by volunteers from Shemesh Yehuda, the local forum for the advancement of environmental awareness and sustainability, founded in 2008 under the auspices of Partnership 2000 Beit Shemesh - Mateh Yehuda - Washington - South Africa of the Jewish Agency..

Shemesh Yehuda is working on finding a secure and permanent location for e waste collection in the region so residents can safely dispose of unwanted items without having to wait for a special campaign. In the meantime, more frequent collection dates will be added to the forum's programs.

To find out more about Shemesh Yehuda, contact Renee Halpert at 052-350-6592 or write shemeshyehuda@gmail.com.