Green Waste - Putting Green Waste to Good Use
The green waste collected from the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area - those branches and trees left over after pruning, or plant matter taken out of the agricultural production cycle, can also serve many good purposes.
Each day the about 300 tons of green waste enter the site.The green waste comes from private gardens, yards, and from pruning and culling of woods and street trees by the local authority or by the Electricity Corporation.
In the first stage, the trucks are directed to a platform where the waste is sorted to remove metals, cartons and other dry waste arriving with the trimmed matter. These materials are sold to the recycling factories around the country.
In the second stage, the tree trunks are separated and sold to carpentry shops.
In the third stage, the trimmed matter is chopped and ground into mulch for various uses:
The mulch is dry organic matter, which facilitates the penetration of oxygen for more efficient decomposition of wet organic matter. The result: compost fertilizer. The mulch is also sent to waste water treatment facilities as a sludge stabilizer.
Covering soil with wood mulch is esthetically pleasing, it saves water (by reducing evaporation), cuts on spraying ( by preventing weeds from growing), prevents mud in winter, and enriches the soil (over time the wood decomposes and enriches the soil.
The green waste can serve as a combustible in place of petroleum-based fuels. One of the end solutions for green matter at Hiriya is the Galam factory in Maanit, which manufactures starch and corn flour. The green waste is sold to the factory, where it is used instead of fuel oil to produce steam.
