The Ministry of Environmental Protection ordered "polyol": remove 400 tons of hazardous material

The Ministry of Environmental Protection recently issued an evacuation order to the polyol factory in the Kanot Industrial Zone, which orders the removal of 400 tons of hazardous materials stored in the plant area. According to the order, the plant is required to safely remove the hazardous materials by February 10, 2019. It was further determined that the hazardous materials would be evacuated to the material supplier or alternatively transferred to the toxic waste site at Neot Hovav.
 The dangerous materials were discovered during a tour of the plant by representatives of the Southern District, the Green Police and the Customs in Haifa, following which a hearing was held for the plant at the end of August. It should be noted that during an additional tour conducted by representatives of the Ministry during last December, dangerous materials were stored in the factory area.
 According to tests that were submitted to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the mixture contains a substance that is classified as poison according to the Hazardous Substances Law, which requires the possession of a toxic permit in accordance with the law of more than 10 kilograms.
 In addition, this material is defined as "controlled substance" as defined in the Hazardous Substances Regulations (Implementation of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer) and falls under the category of controlled substances for which restriction and reduction targets were set for imports and consumption. In the examination conducted, it was found that any deviation from the import permitted to the plant to the controlled substance would lead to the deviation of the State of Israel from the quota permitted under the regulations.
 Baruch Weber, director of the southern district of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, made it clear in his order that the non-compliance with the order violates the Hazardous Substances Law, which carries a maximum sentence of three years or a fine of up to NIS 1.6 million. "We consider it extremely dangerous to store large amounts of hazardous materials without a toxic permit and contrary to the provisions of the law, and contrary to Israel's obligations under international agreements," Weber said.