59% of beverage bottles in Israel are recycled

Nearly 60 percent of plastic beverage bottles in Israel are being recycled, making Israel's bottle recycling rate one of the highest in the world, the Ela Recycling Corporation reported Sunday.

To compare, the U.S. recycles 34 percent of its large plastic beverage containers, and most European countries the target recycling rate stands at 56 percent.

This past year, Israel recycled some 600 million bottles, or 80 percent of the beverage containers sold, which is 3 percent more than the legislated target of 77 percent.

According to Ela's numbers, Tel Aviv leads the nation's cities in terms of its bottle recycling rate: 2.24 kilograms (4.94 pounds) per person, followed by Rishon Lezion 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) per person.

Haredi communities had a significantly lower recycling rate, led by Bnei Brak, where 0.8 kilograms (1.8 pounds) per person and Beitar Illit 0.52 kilograms (1.1 pounds) per person, respectively.

The current rate of beverage container recycling comes only four years after the Bottle Deposit Law was amended.

Ela chairwoman Nechama Ronen said, "The public should be proud. We've managed to do what no one believed [we could]."