Consumption of plastic bags by the public rose by 1% in 2021 to the previous year, according to data from the Ministry of the Environment.
According to the firm's data this year, about 501 million bags were purchased by the major retailers.
This is still a 71% reduction in bag consumption compared to 2016, prior to the entry into force of the law to reduce the use of disposable carrying bags, in which the major retailers purchased 1.754 billion bags for distribution.
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In 2021, the volume of consumption of disposable plastic carrier bags increased by 1% compared to 2020.
Last year, the list of major retailers numbered 21, while in 2017 the list numbered 28 retailers, and more than 200 branches were added that are reported by the major retailers.
The increase in population, at a rate of 9% between these years, also led to an increase in the consumption of bags.
The data also show that the increase per capita in the number of disposable carrying bags is less than 2% from 2017, when the number of bags per capita was 171 bags and until 2021 when the number of bags per capita is 174 bags.
In 2021, retailers purchased 5,231 tons of bags, compared to 9,650 tons in 2016, the base year.
This reduction prevented the formation of bags waste originally in an unprecedented volume of 4,419 tons.
As part of the Ministry of Environmental Protection's activities to enforce extended manufacturer liability laws, the Ministry of the Environment sent payment demands to 5 retailers who violated the provisions of the Bags Law and did not submit audited reports for 2020 on the date set by law.
These include, among others, B.H. Levy, Cheap and Big, the Market Warehouses, Salah Dabah and the City Market.
In addition, the firm sent notices of its intention to fine four retailers who have not yet submitted the audited annual report for 2021, including Cheap and Big, Pavilion Wines, Mega Retail and Stop Market.
The fine for non-reporting is about NIS 60,000.
Minister of Environmental Protection Tamar Zandberg said: "The Bags Law is intended to reduce the amount of waste in the State of Israel and provide a cleaner public space. The report indicates a significant reduction in the consumption of bags, of over 70% compared to the pre-law. For gradual erosion, so various measures are being considered to expand the law. "
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