Worth Knowing

SMART WASTE was founded by Shikun Binui and Blogen with the goal of establishing Israel’s most advanced waste sorting and treatment facility, in accordance with the national goals of the Ministry of Environmental Protection. Our primary goal is to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills and to recycle waste in Israel, leading an innovation revolution in municipal waste treatment through advanced green technologies.

We are leading the establishment of the first technological park of its kind in the country, in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, for an operating period of 25 years as part of the national program of the State of Israel. The park is intended for recycling and treating municipal waste, its planning and operation are under the close supervision of the Ministry, and it meets European regulatory standards and the most stringent standards.

Our park brings about environmental, economic, and social change through the following goals:

1. Improving environmental quality: Turning every municipality and authority into a green and innovative one through efficient recycling and reduced landfilling.
2. Center of technological and research excellence: Using smart and advanced technologies for waste treatment, enabling automatic and accurate treatment of household waste.
3. Meeting the most stringent regulatory standards: The park operates under the close supervision of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and meets stringent standards such as TA LUFT standard, wastewater standard, the Ionizing Radiation Law, and regulations for preventing noise hazards.
4. Promoting local treatment solutions: Reducing costs and noise and environmental hazards by promoting local solutions for all types of municipal waste.
5. Streamlining the separation and recycling process: Reducing the costs of the separation process between dry and wet waste and improving recycling efficiency.
6. Reducing the scope of landfilling in Israel: Positively impacting national sustainability by significantly reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills.

At SMART WASTE’s recycling technology park, we use the most advanced technologies to turn municipal waste into a valuable resource.

Our park sorts and treats household waste automatically and accurately, we turn the nuisance into a resource and recycle waste into green energy: green electricity and biogas, and change the face of recycling in Israel. All processes are carried out without pollutant emissions and to the most stringent standards.

In addition, the park reduces the scope of waste landfilling, reduces traffic, odor, and noise nuisances, and prevents pirate activity by unprofessional companies. The huge investment in the park strengthens the local economy and offers a long-term solution to the strategic problem of municipal waste treatment in Israel.

Today, household waste in Israel is collected by compactors (green trucks) and transported to intermediate sites (transfer stations), where it is piled up in large heaps and then mostly loaded onto trucks and sent to landfills in the land of Israel, mainly in the Negev area. This is an irreversible process that includes three main disadvantages:

Transporting large quantities of waste on Israel’s roads, which increases traffic congestion and air pollution.

Recycling waste on a small scale, which causes waste of resources.

Polluting our country’s soil in a way that harms us and future generations.

Global warming as a result of methane gas decomposition in the process.

Landfilling waste is the least preferred treatment method in the waste treatment hierarchy worldwide due to its high environmental cost. Nevertheless, Israel currently landfills over 80% of the waste. SMART WASTE’s park is designed to change this reality and reduce landfill percentages.

The main goals of the State of Israel’s strategic plan for waste treatment until 2030 are:

• Reducing the landfill rate from 80% today to 26%.
• Recycling about 51% of the waste.
• Producing energy from about 23% of the waste.

In accordance with the policy of the Government of Israel and the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the park to be established by SMART WASTE will replace existing and old transfer stations in the Rishon LeZion area and its surroundings and will be the most advanced park in Israel for the separation and recycling of household waste. The park not only reduces the scope of landfilling, but also generates electricity and recycling products on the largest scale, thereby contributing to improving environmental quality and sustainability for future generations.

Smart Waste, a collaboration between Blogen and Shikun Binui, won the tender from the Ministry of Finance and Environmental Protection to establish and operate the park for 24 years and 11 months. At the end of this period, the park will return to the state. Here are some important points regarding the experience and technologies implemented in it:

1. Experience in PPP agreement: The combination of Blogen and Shikun Binui brings extensive experience in a variety of projects in the field of infrastructure and technology. The BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) agreement creates a commitment to long-term cooperation with the state, while ensuring quality and continuous management at the highest level. This agreement harnesses the experience and knowledge in the business sector for the benefit of national infrastructure projects of the highest quality, such as desalination facilities, solar power plants, Highway 6, and more.
2. Advanced technologies: Smart Waste’s park is based on the most advanced technologies available today (Best Available Technology), which ensures efficient, environmentally friendly, and safe operation. All processes in the park are designed to prevent odor, noise, and environmental pollution.
3. Compliance with stringent standards: The park meets all the most stringent international quality standards and requirements, which ensures the protection of public health and environmental quality.

This commitment to experience, technology, and compliance with stringent standards ensures that the park will function optimally and meet all the requirements and expectations defined in the project.

1. Supervision of the Ministry of Environmental Protection: The park will be established and operated under the close supervision of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, which includes inspections and controls in accordance with the most stringent environmental standards.
2. Comprehensive survey on environmental impact: As part of the regulations, a comprehensive survey is conducted by professionals, covering all possible environmental impacts of the park. The survey also addressed the impact on the area and the community.
3. Professional accompanying team: The park will be supervised by a professional accompanying team that will perform controls and supervise its operation in all its stages – from establishment to operation.
4. Full business license: The park will be required to have a full business license and will be subject to supervision and inspections by the relevant authorities, including the Water Authority, the Israel Electric Corporation, the Ministry of Health, and the Drainage Authority.
5. No waste fires: It should be noted that no waste burning of any kind will occur in the park.

Our park meets the most stringent standards of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, including:

• TA LUFT standard: A European standard adopted by the Ministry of Environmental Protection that details the environmental standards required of the park, especially regarding the quality of permissible air emissions.
• Wastewater standard: A standard that defines the required quality of wastewater before it is sent for treatment at the Shafdan.
• Ionizing Radiation Law: To prevent light pollution.
• Regulations for preventing noise hazards.
• European standard for performing odor measurement EN17325.

Systems will be installed in the park to prevent the emission of pollutants, a risk survey was conducted according to the definitions of the Ministry of Environmental Protection in various scenarios. The survey findings indicated that there is no risk to residential homes, businesses, and other factors. After the establishment of the park, a comprehensive odor survey with odor measurements will be conducted, and the survey will be published to the public.

The construction of our park is actually intended to alleviate the problem of congestion and not to exacerbate it. Here are some ways we plan to achieve this:

1. Establishing a special access road to the facility, south of the city of Rishon LeZion: The trucks that arrive at the facility will not pass at all within the area of Rishon LeZion, but will arrive via a new access road that we recently paved as part of the project.
2. Reducing the use of polluting transfer stations: The construction of our park will allow reducing the use of polluting transfer stations, which will lead to a reduction in the number of trucks required to transport waste from the city center to the transfer stations.
3. No change in the municipal evacuation system: The existing system of municipal waste evacuation in Rishon LeZion and the neighboring settlements in the metropolis will not change. That is, no increase in truck traffic is expected compared to the current situation.
4. Traffic on existing main roads: Traffic to the park area will be carried out on existing main roads, which already serve existing infrastructure facilities. This ensures that traffic will not be added to city centers but will take place on roads designed for such loads.
5. Improving safety and traffic flow: To improve safety and traffic flow, we will establish a new traffic circle on Road 4311 before the park is put into operation. This will help manage traffic more smoothly and safely.

These measures are intended not only to prevent the exacerbation of traffic jams but also to improve the existing situation, while maintaining safety and efficiency of traffic in the affected areas.

These claims are far from reality. First, we will mention that the Ministry of Environmental Protection intends to stipulate in the regulations that only compost created from waste separated at the source can be used as compost for agriculture. As these regulations pass, the compost produced at the facility will be able to be used for agriculture if the authorities in the vicinity of the facility move to separate waste at the source.

Already now, after the biogas is processed, the remaining organic material undergoes an advanced technological process and is transferred to closed cells where it is stabilized so that it does not affect the environment. This process is actually composting, which, as the organic material is separated at the source, can be used in the future as high-quality compost.

Here are some important points about our production process:

1. Treatment and stabilization: The organic material undergoes advanced treatment and stabilization to ensure that the final compost is of high quality, free of plastic and glass particles, and ready for agricultural and other uses.
2. Advanced technologies: Our park, Smart Waste, is a highly advanced sorting park that allows for greater extraction of materials for recycling. Unlike other sorting facilities that do not treat the organic stream of waste, we use anaerobic digestion technology that allows for the production of biogas from organic waste. This biogas is converted into green electricity, which adds to the added value of our process.
3. Regulations and standards: We comply with all the most stringent regulations and standards in Israel for waste treatment. Our park is built and tested to ensure that the compost produced is of the highest quality and will continue to meet stringent regulations in the future.
4. Ecological advantages: Through our process, we not only produce high-quality compost, but also reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills and positively impact national sustainability.

If you are concerned about the quality of our compost, rest assured that we are making every effort to ensure that it is safe, clean, and of high quality for agricultural and other uses. All within the framework of our commitment to protecting the environment and turning waste into a valuable resource.

There is no concern about soil or groundwater contamination as a result of our park’s activity. We take stringent measures to ensure environmental safety, including:

1. Concentration of leachates to a closed treatment facility: All leachates generated in the park are concentrated to a closed treatment facility with advanced technology, which prevents their spread to the environment.
2. Use of sealed surfaces: All activity is carried out on sealed and special surfaces made of concrete, which prevent the penetration of liquids into the soil.
3. Treatment of liquids before discharge: The liquids generated in the project are carefully treated before being discharged to the Shafdan wastewater treatment park, while meeting all the most stringent discharge standards.

These measures ensure that the leachate will not seep into the groundwater and will not endanger water sources. Protecting the environment is our top priority, and we operate in accordance with the highest standards to ensure this.

We understand the concern, but it is based on incorrect information. All processes in our park are carried out in closed structures that do not allow the emission of air or odor outside. Here are some important points on how we ensure that the air in the environment remains clean and safe:

1. Closed structures: All waste treatment and processing processes are carried out in closed structures. This means that there is no emission of polluted air or odors to the outside environment.
2. Advanced treatment system: We use an array of advanced scrubbers and filters (bio-filters) to treat all potential emissions. These technologies filter and neutralize pollutants before they can reach the outside air.
3. Stringent standards: Our park meets all the most stringent standards in terms of pollutant emissions, ensuring that we do not adversely affect public health.
4. Commitment to transparency: We are committed to full transparency and sharing information with the public and the authorities regarding the park’s activities and emissions, to ensure that we meet all standards and requirements in the best possible way.

Residents of the area can rest assured that the air they breathe will not be adversely affected by our activity. We are here to protect the environment and public health, all while promoting advanced technological solutions for waste treatment.

First of all, it is important to understand the whole picture. As of today, the amount of waste landfilled in Israel is increasing every year, and this is in contrast to developed countries that manage to reduce landfill volumes. This is where we come into the picture: our park treats 100% (!!) of the waste that reaches it, and not only that. Our goal is to reduce the scope of landfilling to 40%. This is not only a significant step, but also part of the overall solution to the national and regional problem of waste treatment. Moreover, as the separation at the source of household waste increases in the future, it will be possible to reduce landfill rates even to lower numbers.

And regarding the policy of the Ministry of Environmental Protection? We are completely in the right direction. Our park, combined with similar facilities that will be built in the future, will help the country solve the waste problem in Israel and meet the goals it has set. We see ourselves as part of the solution and not as part of the problem, and we will continue to act to lead this green revolution.

We are happy to reassure you – there are no fires and no pollution with us! Our project does not include a thermal process or burning of waste of any kind. The park is planned to operate in a natural method of anaerobic digestion, which means treating waste without burning and without emitting combustion products. All processes are carried out inside closed structures, so there is no emission of air or odors outside. We will use generators to produce green and clean electricity from biogas produced from the waste.

In addition, we will take care to install advanced systems that will prevent the emission of pollutants from the park. Thus, you can be sure that the air will remain clean and healthy, and your health is in good hands. SMART WASTE is committed to protecting the environment and public health, and we will continue to act responsibly and professionally for the benefit of us all.

Green electricity is one of our green achievements! In the process of treating organic waste, biogas is created – a natural gas that is extracted from organic waste. We convert this biogas into electrical energy with a capacity of 5 megawatts. The electricity will be generated by a generator. But that’s not all! We will install a solar system on the roofs of the site with an area of about 30 dunams, which will provide additional energy. Thus, we not only treat waste efficiently, but also produce clean and green energy.

Our park is ready to treat all types of household waste, whether it has been separated at the source or not. Our park, Smart Waste, is a highly advanced sorting park, which will allow maximum extraction of materials for recycling. In addition, it will treat the organic stream of waste using anaerobic digestion, unlike other sorting facilities that do not treat this stream.

The process includes the production of biogas from organic waste, which is converted into green electricity. After the biogas is processed, the remaining organic material undergoes an advanced technological process and is transferred to closed cells where it is stabilized so that it does not affect the environment. This process is actually composting, which, as the organic material is separated at the source, can be used in the future as high-quality compost.

In short, we provide a comprehensive and green solution for all types of household waste, with an emphasis on efficiency and environmental protection.

1. Establishing a special access road to the facility, south of the city of Rishon LeZion: The trucks that arrive at the facility from other cities will not pass at all within the area of Rishon LeZion, but will arrive via a new access road that we recently paved as part of the project.
2. Existing truck traffic: Today there is truck traffic in this area due to the existence of facilities such as the Shafdan Park, the Sorek Desalination Park, the industrial area, and the existing transfer station for the treatment of household waste near the 1000 complex in Rishon LeZion. The existing traffic does not cause additional noise nuisances in the early morning hours.
3. Traffic routes: Truck traffic will mainly take place on main and intercity roads, and will not enter any existing neighborhood or settlement. It will take place at a significant distance from the surrounding settlements and residential neighborhoods.
4. Entrance to the park: The entrance of the trucks to the park itself will be adjacent to the Shafdan Park, which is also far from residents’ homes.
5. Without noise or pollution nuisances: According to the location and traffic routes, no noise, odor, or pollution nuisances are expected from truck traffic.

In summary, the expected truck traffic will not lead to additional nuisances in the residential neighborhoods, and no additional air pollution is expected as a result.

The park’s design ensures optimal prevention of odors and air pollution, and the strict treatment systems ensure that no odors will be released from the park to the nearby environment:

1. Investment and advanced technology: The park will be established with an unprecedented investment of hundreds of millions of ₪ and with the most advanced technology in the world for preventing odors and air pollution. Smart Waste has committed to implementing the most advanced technology for preventing odors in the park, which includes treatment at all stages in closed structures and under negative pressure, which prevents the emission of odors.
2. Odor Inspection and Strict Monitoring: According to the guidelines of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, a thorough examination was conducted regarding odor emissions from the park, and the examination findings indicate that there will be no odor exceedance from the park’s operation. The addition of a strict monitoring program will allow monitoring emissions from the park and ensuring compliance with the required criteria, both during the trial stages and during the operation period.
3. Treatment and Filtration Systems: All processes are located in closed structures where no air or odor emission is possible. The reception of household waste is carried out under negative pressure conditions, and the discharge openings include rapid rolling doors with an air curtain to prevent odor emission. Emissions are treated with a system of gas absorbers (scrubbers) and biological filters (bio-filters).
4. Comprehensive Odor Survey: After the recycling park is operational, a comprehensive odor survey with actual odor measurements will be conducted to ensure compliance with the criteria.

Our park is not just a waste treatment park – it is the ultimate solution for protecting the environment. The park will treat all waste that arrives, separate and sort the waste, and recycle everything that can be reused. This means that the volume of waste destined for landfill will be reduced by about 50%, and instead, materials for recycling such as paper, plastic, metals, green energy – biogas and green electricity will be produced from it.

After the biogas is processed, the remaining organic material undergoes an advanced technological process and is transferred to closed cells where it is stabilized so that it does not affect the environment. This process is actually composting, so the more organic material is separated at the source, the more it can be used in the future as a high-quality compost.

In addition, we meet the most stringent standards and create a closed working environment to prevent unpleasant odors. In short, we not only solve the waste problem, but also produce vital resources and reduce the negative impact on the environment.

Noise? Not in our school! All our waste treatment systems are located inside closed and soundproofed buildings, so the noise generated in the park will not affect the external environment. We have carried out a rigorous noise prediction that proved that there will be no deviation from the strict criteria set by law, and the issue was approved by the Ministry of Environmental Protection. To be one hundred percent sure, we will carry out noise measurements during the trial and operation of the park, in order to ensure that everything is running according to the accepted standards. So you can rest assured and enjoy industrial peace.

No need to worry, our park does not store fuels in dangerous quantities. The amount of biogas that will be stored in the park is small and intended for internal use only. We take care of safety at the highest level with strict protection measures according to the Home Front Command requirements. In addition, we have carried out rigorous risk assessments, and examined possible scenarios of loss of contents or damage to the biogas tank. Even in the most extreme case, no impact on the nearby settlements is expected. So you can sleep peacefully, we are here to keep you safe.

It is important for us to preserve natural values and the environment. The park is located next to the existing Shafdan Park, and the entire project is carried out in cooperation with the Nature and Parks Authority and with the guidance of ecological consultants. As part of the environmental impact assessment, all the environmental components on the site were examined, and no geophytes (plants with bulbs) that require relocation were found. Before starting work in the field, we will ensure that the animals can move to the nearby open areas according to the instructions of the Nature and Parks Authority and in coordination with them. Even after the park starts operating, we will implement measures to prevent harm to animals and preserve their natural habitat, so that animals can also enjoy a safe and pleasant environment.