Despite environmental concerns, Israel’s new administration will end the nation’s levy on single-use plastic plates and utensils, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on Sunday.
The decision was made after religious groups opposed the levy, claiming it unfairly targeted their communities and appeared to be in defiance of international efforts to lessen the quantity of plastic waste that is fouling the oceans.
Smotrich, who took office on Thursday, declared that his first act as president will be to ‘as swiftly as possible’ eliminate the plastic fee and the surcharge on sugary drinks.
Smotrich’s decision and its effects are being investigated, according to the nation’s Environmental Protection Ministry, which has seen a 50% decrease in the usage of such plastic since the tax was implemented in 2021.
There was opposition to the plastic tax among ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties, which are strongly represented in the new government led by Benjamin Netanyahu.
A parlimentary report from November 2021 found that ultra-Orthodox families used plasticware three times more than the rest of the population because they often have large families and low incomes, with many not owning dishwashing machines.