The Escapism Economy: Zero Waste Day sheds light on the waste-producing habits of the Middle East

Countries in the Middle East are introducing new initiatives to combat waste, but major challenges remain in waste management

International Zero Waste Day, celebrated on March 30, commemorates global efforts to combat pollution and promote sustainable living practices. Particularly in the Middle East, a region facing unique environmental challenges such as rapid urbanization, population growth and water scarcity, zero-waste initiatives are a beacon of hope.

The statistics on global waste production are staggering. Every year we produce 430 million tons of plastic, two thirds of which are short-lived products that quickly become waste. Experts assume that annual municipal waste will increase from 2.3 billion tons to 3.8 billion tons over the next 25 years.

The problem with waste is not just its unsightliness. Waste can contaminate soil and water and endanger life on land and in water. Waste also contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, as organic waste in landfills releases methane.

Although some use Zero Waste Day to celebrate our society no longer producing waste, Ofira Ayalon, who teaches environmental management at the University of Haifa, thinks the idea is far-fetched.

“We are a consumer society and there is no way to achieve zero waste,” she told The Media Line.

Ayalon pointed to the difficulties of life in the Middle East as one of the reasons for overconsumption.

“Shopping is a form of escapism for many people,” she said. “I want to be seen with new shoes, a very fancy car and a phone. I want to show off and show that I can buy it. It means feeling the comfort that the purchase brings. This creates a lot of waste.”

Consumer dissatisfaction is another source of waste, Ayalon said. If a consumer discovers that the size, fit, color or appearance of a new item is different than expected, the item may end up in a landfill.

Ayalon said waste is particularly problematic given the resources used to produce the items we use.

“It takes energy, water and labor to produce something, even a banana, and if you throw it away, you're throwing away all those resources,” she said. “When a banana ends up in a landfill, it produces greenhouse gases and leachate – the juice of the waste. It gets into the water, into underground water reservoirs and pollutes it.”

As a society, we need to reduce the amount of waste we produce, Ayalon said. She called on the Israeli ministries of environmental protection, education and economy to work together to educate about the importance of reducing waste and create incentives for less waste production.

“If it’s not done, the waste just keeps growing,” she said.

Eduard lives in the Middle East and adheres to the principles of appropriate consumption.

In 2017, Eduard visited Ariel Sharon Park, a green space and environmental education site built on a former massive landfill called Hiriya. During his visit, Eduard learned about the immense effort involved in removing, sorting, processing and disposing of waste.

Inspired by his visit to the park and his love of swimming, Eduard began taking part in plastic collection events on the beaches of the Mediterranean, including in the village of Mikhmoret.

“Mikhmoret is a village just north of Netanya with a maritime school and a veterinary clinic for injured marine animals affected by various human actions or waste,” Eduard told The Media Line. “Mostly they treat sea turtles that have swallowed plastic bags, got their fins or paws caught in bags or nets, had their shells broken during sea transport, and so on.”

Eduard tries to do his part to avoid waste.

“I tried not to buy unnecessary things, use reusable bags, not take plastic bags to stores, prefer to eat things that you can buy without packaging, for example, I looked for places where cereals are sold in bulk “, he said . “I eat meat and fish, but it’s difficult because there are hardly any places where you can buy them unpackaged.”

“I tried to buy milk with my washed out glasses but the staff didn’t agree,” he added.

Eduard said he believes society needs more public awareness of these issues.

“If there is a demand for this lifestyle, there will be a supply,” he said. “On the other hand, I also think that we have to understand that in the modern world, where everyone has to be taken care of and logistics have to be as cheap, convenient and functional as possible, hardly anyone will care about more ecology but less practical solutions.”

Denis, another Israeli, criticized Israel's recent decision to eliminate the tax on disposable tableware.

“I am annoyed by the amount of disposable tableware in stores and, in general, by the large amount of waste that a family produces,” he told The Media Line. “I think there is a lack of public education efforts on this issue.”

Various Middle Eastern countries have launched initiatives to address waste management and promote sustainability. The Middle East waste management market is expected to exceed $50 billion by 2030 as companies in the waste management sector actively adopt circular economy practices to improve environmental protection and establish themselves as forward-thinking companies.

The United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, among others, have developed initiatives to reduce waste. Jordan's initiative focuses on waste separation, recycling and community-led initiatives. Israel is using government support and innovation-friendly policies to reduce waste and increase recycling rates.

However, despite the progress made, the Middle East still faces major challenges in waste management, including inadequate infrastructure, limited recycling options and outdated cultural attitudes towards waste.

Ayalon, a professor of environmental management, said Israel is failing to meet its own waste reduction goals. She described Israel as “a third world country” when it comes to waste management.

“The Ministry of Environmental Protection, which is the sole regulatory authority for waste management in Israel, has set a new goal, which is to reduce landfilling to 70%. The current landfill rate is around 80%. “I’m not sure even this very low target will be met, but that’s the current policy,” she said.

Yaakov Jerome Garb, a professor of sociology and anthropology at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, told The Media Line that waste plays a different role in societies in the Global North and Global South.

“The Global North refers to the overdeveloped countries – North America and most of Europe,” he explained. “The Global South is made up of underdeveloped countries – large parts of Africa, parts of South America, parts of South Asia. With Israel-Palestine, for example, the global north and the global south are right next to each other.”

In the global north, societies are faced with the problem of overconsumption, he said. “There is not much thought given to what happens at the end of the life of everything we produce and consume,” he said, noting that this dynamic often leads to improper or environmentally harmful disposal of waste.

Garb said people in the Global South tend to have a different perspective on waste. “For example, e-waste that cannot be effectively recycled in Israel is collected and taken to the West Bank, where it can be economically recycled or dismantled,” he said.

Things need to change in both the Global North and the Global South to solve the problems caused by waste, Garb explained.

“The problem lies on both sides. On the production and consumption side, there is no thought about what happens at the end of the product's life, and throughout the Global South, waste can be a means of livelihood, but so is the lack of capacity for proper recycling. In the global south there is, on the one hand, too much thoughtless production and consumption, and on the other, poverty and lack of opportunity. When those two things come together, it’s bad news,” he said.