For the past two and a half years, an illegal waste disposal site has been located in the Jabal Mukaber neighborhood, which has become a serious environmental and sanitary hazard. The site contains construction waste, industrial waste, and hazardous medical and chemical waste. It is a source of foul odor, the spread of pests in a crowded residential environment, as well as the cause of increased air pollution, endangering the health of the residents. The site has additionally been set on fire several times, raising a lot of polluted air, all in close proximity to homes, a kindergarten, a playground and more.
Despite repeated appeals by neighborhood residents to the Jerusalem municipality, it refrained from removing the waste disposal site. Therefore, on May 29, 2024, we sent legal correspondence to the Ministry of Environmental Protection to exercise its authority and instruct the municipality to fulfill its obligation. Attorney Reut Shaer of ACRI emphasized that the municipality is obligated by law to protect public health, prevent the formation of environmental hazards and remove existing hazards, as well as to bring lawbreakers to justice who throw waste at the site or set it on fire. If the municipality does not act, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Environmental Protection have the authority to issue an order requiring it to do so. Shaer also noted that the neglect of the waste site joins the widespread and ongoing neglect of sanitation and the environment in East Jerusalem.