Life in the Garbage: A Report on Sanitation Services in East Jerusalem | Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI)

In an effort to cope with the sanitation and environmental problems, residents are compelled to provide solutions at their own expense, according to ACRI’s recent status report.

To read the full report in English click here.

By Atty. Nisreen Alyan
Assistance and photos: Asaf Peled

Anyone taking a walk through the streets and neighborhoods of East Jerusalem cannot fail to notice the bleak sights: garbage strewn all over the streets and trash bins not visible through many parts of the eastern side of town. On other streets, bins are filled to overflowing, broken down, and leaking. Sanitation is so poor, it was recently given special mention in the State Comptroller Report, which noted, “Cleanliness in East Jerusalem is much worse than in the other parts of the city. Municipal attention to the cleanliness and care of East Jerusalem is deficient and reflective of ongoing neglect”.

ACRI recently conducted an investigation into this subject based on fact-finding trips to several East Jerusalem neighborhoods, discussions with residents’ committees, and correspondence with the Jerusalem Municipality. The investigation revealed that the municipality is not meeting its obligations, and this failure prevents residents from living in pleasant surroundings free of health risks. The main findings, more fully discussed in the report , are as follows:

Entire streets in East Jerusalem lack trash collection services or any form of cleaning.

East Jerusalem neighborhoods have an insufficient number of sanitation workers, despite the urgent need for them.

Street sweeping vehicles do not operate in most East Jerusalem neighborhoods. In areas where such vehicles do operate, they service only a limited number of streets.

Most trash bins placed in East Jerusalem are dilapidated, burnt out, or otherwise in disrepair.

Small public waste receptacles are virtually entirely lacking in the streets as well as commercial, cultural, and public areas.

Vermin and stray dogs are a severe environmental blight and pose a danger to children.

The privatization of cleaning services for neighborhoods on the other side of the Separation Barrier has exacerbated the sanitation conditions.

In an effort to cope with the sanitation and environmental problems, residents are compelled to provide solutions at their own expense.

The neighborhoods with the worst sanitation problems are those on the other side of the Separation Barrier in East Jerusalem. Sanitation services in these neighborhoods were privatized and do not function properly in the absence of municipal supervision. Entire sections in these neighborhoods lack trash collection services, leading to the accumulation and burning of mounds of garbage along the sides of the roads. A recent State Comptroller Report harshly criticized the shortage of sanitation services in this area, noting, “There is a need to clarify the jurisdiction of the State of Israel and the City of Jerusalem with regard to meeting the needs of this population, and enhancing coordination between the government ministries and the municipality”. To date, no progress has been made to solve this problem.

The severe sanitation conditions described in the report reflect a continuing violation of the rights of East Jerusalem residents to health, life, and a clean environment free of sanitation risks.