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Law for the Environmental Treatment of Electrical and Electronic Equipment and Batteries, 5772-2012

חוק לטיפול סביבתי בציוד חשמלי ואלקטרוני ובסוללות, תשע"ב-2012

Published: 2012-07-26Consolidated Hebrew text as of 2026-08-02 · Last amended 2026-07-28
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Unofficial English translation — for reference only. It may contain errors or omissions and cannot be relied on as a legal text. Only the Hebrew text published in Reshumot is legally binding.More

This English text was translated from the official Hebrew using a range of translation tools, and it undergoes ongoing checks and updates. It is not a certified translation.

Despite these checks, it may contain errors, omissions, or imprecise renderings of legal terminology and cross-references, and it may not yet reflect the latest amendments. It cannot be relied upon as a legal text.

The Hebrew text as published in Reshumot (ספר החוקים) and on the Knesset website is the sole authoritative and legally binding version. In any discrepancy, the Hebrew text prevails.

This translation is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For use in legal proceedings, request a certified Expert Legal Opinion.

Chapter I: Purpose

Purpose§

1.

The purpose of this Law is to establish arrangements for the environmental treatment of electrical and electronic equipment and of batteries and accumulators, in order to encourage the reuse of electrical and electronic equipment, to reduce the quantity of waste generated from electrical and electronic equipment and from batteries and accumulators and to prevent its landfilling, and to reduce the negative environmental and health effects of electrical and electronic equipment and of batteries and accumulators and of equipment and battery waste, inter alia, by means of all of the following:

(1)imposing extended liability on manufacturers and importers of electrical and electronic equipment and of batteries and accumulators to carry out recognised recycling of equipment and battery waste, including the setting of binding targets for such recycling, and the regulation of recognised implementation bodies that will act on behalf of the said manufacturers and importers;
(2)imposing liability on those responsible for waste removal to carry out the separation and collection of equipment and battery waste from the household sector, and the setting of a prohibition on the disposal and removal of equipment and battery waste otherwise than in accordance with the arrangements prescribed in this Law;
(3)imposing liability on distributors of equipment and batteries to receive from purchasers equipment and battery waste from the household sector;
(4)the operation of equipment and battery waste centres and of treatment facilities for equipment and battery waste;
(5)the setting of a prohibition on the landfilling of equipment and battery waste.

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Chapter II: Definitions

Definitions§

2.

In this Law –

"person responsible for waste removal" – a local authority, and also any person who is obliged under any law, other than an obligation by virtue of a by-law, to collect and remove waste from an area in his ownership or possession;

"source reduction measures" – measures to be taken at the production stages of equipment and batteries, which are intended to reduce one or more of the following:

(1)the quantity of equipment and battery waste, including by adapting the materials or components of which the equipment or batteries are made for reuse;
(2)the negative – environmental and health – effects of equipment and battery waste, including by adapting the materials or components of which the equipment or batteries are made for recycling or recovery;
(3)the content of hazardous materials in equipment and batteries;

"recognised implementation body" – a company recognised by the Administrator pursuant to the provisions of section 14;

"arrears charges" and "shekel interest" – as defined in the Interest and Linkage Adjudication Law;

"instructions for the environmental treatment of batteries or accumulators" – written information on the components and materials in batteries or accumulators, including the existence and location of hazardous materials therein, as well as instructions regarding the manner of carrying out the treatment of battery or accumulator waste, in a manner that is safe and prevents harm to the environment;

"instructions for the environmental treatment and preparation for reuse of electrical and electronic equipment" – written information on the components and materials in electrical and electronic equipment, including the existence and location of hazardous materials in such equipment, as well as instructions regarding the manner of carrying out the preparation for reuse and the treatment of electrical and electronic equipment waste, in a manner that is safe and prevents harm to the environment;

"return" – the return of equipment and battery waste to a distributor as referred to in section 30;

"preparation for reuse" – operations of inspection, cleaning or repair of electrical and electronic equipment waste that enable its reuse, without the need to carry out additional operations;

"recovery" – the extraction of energy from equipment and battery waste or a processing operation of such waste into a material used for the extraction of energy;

"recognised recovery" – recovery at a recovery plant licensed under any law;

"the Committee" – the Interior and Environmental Protection Committee of the Knesset;

"hazardous material" – as defined in the Hazardous Substances Law, 5753-1993;

"Companies Law" – the Companies Law, 5759-1999;

"Interest and Linkage Adjudication Law" – the Interest and Linkage Adjudication Law, 5721-1961;

"treatment" – recycling, recovery or landfilling;

"importer" – a battery importer or an electrical and electronic equipment importer;

"battery importer" – a person who imports, in the course of his business, batteries or accumulators for sale or distribution in Israel;

"electrical and electronic equipment importer" – a person who imports, in the course of his business, electrical and electronic equipment for sale or distribution in Israel;

"manufacturer" – a battery manufacturer or an electrical and electronic equipment manufacturer;

"battery manufacturer" – a person who manufactures, by himself or through another, batteries or accumulators intended for sale or distribution in Israel;

"electrical and electronic equipment manufacturer" – a person who manufactures, by himself or through another, electrical and electronic equipment intended for sale or distribution in Israel;

"collection point" – a small dedicated container, or a small number of such containers, for the storage of equipment and battery waste from the household sector, placed by a person responsible for waste removal for the initial disposal of equipment and battery waste from the household sector by local residents;

"recycling" – a processing operation of equipment and battery waste into products, materials or raw materials, other than reuse, preparation for reuse and recovery;

"recognised recycling" – acceptance for recycling at a recycling plant licensed under any law;

"treatment facility" – a facility or plant in which treatment of equipment and battery waste is carried out;

"sale" – including online sale;

"the Administrator" – the person appointed as responsible for the field of equipment and batteries in the Ministry, pursuant to section 60;

"operator" – a person in whose ownership, control or possession an equipment and battery waste centre or treatment facility is held, and also a person who is required to hold a licence under any law for the operation of such a centre or facility;

"equipment and battery waste centre" – a collection centre, collection point, sorting centre or preparation-for-reuse centre;

"collection centre" – a facility or compound intended for the initial reception and collection of equipment and battery waste;

"preparation-for-reuse centre" – a compound or facility intended for the preparation for reuse of equipment and battery waste;

"sorting centre" – a compound or facility intended for the sorting of equipment and battery waste;

"distributor" – a person who sells equipment and batteries and also a person who supplies equipment and batteries for distribution, consumption or use in Israel, in the course of his business;

"the Ministry" – the Ministry of Environmental Protection;

"battery or accumulator" – a source of electrical energy generated by the direct conversion of chemical energy, consisting of one or more primary battery cells that cannot be recharged, or of one or more secondary battery cells that can be recharged;

"portable battery or accumulator" – a battery or accumulator, button cell or battery pack, that is sealed and can be carried by hand, and is not an industrial battery or accumulator or a battery or accumulator for a motor vehicle;

"industrial battery or accumulator" – a battery or accumulator intended for industrial or professional use;

"battery or accumulator for a motor vehicle" – a battery or accumulator that supplies voltage to a motor vehicle for the purposes of ignition, starting, lighting or propulsion;

"button cell" – a small round battery whose diameter is greater than its height;

"battery and accumulator waste" – batteries or accumulators that have been discarded or that the holder thereof intends to discard, or that he is required to discard under law;

"electrical and electronic equipment waste" – electrical and electronic equipment and also any component of electrical and electronic equipment and any consumable material that is part of electrical and electronic equipment, that has been discarded or that the holder thereof intends to discard, or that he is required to discard under law, excluding a battery or accumulator that is part of such equipment;

"equipment and battery waste" – electrical and electronic equipment waste and battery and accumulator waste;

"hazardous equipment and battery waste" – equipment and battery waste whose treatment may create a health or safety risk;

"equipment and battery waste from the household sector" – any of the following:

(1)electrical and electronic equipment waste originating from private households;
(2)electrical and electronic equipment waste originating from products also suitable for household use, which by reason of its composition, nature and quantity has characteristics similar to electrical and electronic equipment waste originating from private households, even if it originates from businesses, institutions or industrial plants;
(3)portable battery and accumulator waste;

"equipment and battery waste not from the household sector" – equipment and battery waste that is not equipment and battery waste from the household sector;

"electrical and electronic equipment" – a product, equipment or device intended to operate by means of electric current or electromagnetic field, as well as equipment for the generation, transmission or measurement of such current or field, provided that they are intended for use at a voltage not exceeding 1,000 volts in alternating current or 1,500 volts in direct current, excluding equipment designed and intended for installation as part of other equipment to which this Law does not apply and which can fulfil its intended function only as part of such other equipment; for this purpose, equipment or a device listed in the First Schedule shall be regarded as electrical and electronic equipment;

"equipment and batteries" – electrical and electronic equipment, batteries and accumulators;

"classification group" – any of the groups of electrical and electronic equipment listed in the First Schedule;

"motor vehicle" – as defined in the Traffic Ordinance [New Version], including a motor vehicle driven by an electric motor;

"local authority" – a municipality, local council or municipal association among whose functions is the collection and removal of waste;

"reuse" – additional use of equipment and batteries for the purpose for which they were originally intended;

"leachate" – liquids that were in contact with equipment and battery waste or that originated from such waste;

"the Minister" – the Minister of Environmental Protection.

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Chapter III: Provisions regarding Manufacturers and Importers

Section A: Duties of Manufacturers and Importers regarding the Recycling of Equipment and Batteries

Duty to Recycle Electrical and Electronic Equipment Waste§
3.
(a)A manufacturer and importer of electrical and electronic equipment shall, in each year, carry out recognised recycling of electrical and electronic equipment waste at a rate of not less than 50 per cent of the total weight of the electrical and electronic equipment sold by the manufacturer or importer in that year, after deducting therefrom the weight of the electrical and electronic equipment waste transferred for reuse in that year (in this section – the electrical and electronic equipment recycling target).
(b)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a), in the period from the 29th of Tevet 5774 (1 January 2014) until the 16th of Tevet 5781 (31 December 2020), the electrical and electronic equipment recycling target shall be as set out below:
(1)in 2014 – 15 per cent;
(2)in 2015 – 20 per cent;
(3)in 2016 – 25 per cent;
(4)in 2017 – 30 per cent;
(5)in 2018 – 35 per cent;
(6)in 2019 – 40 per cent;
(7)in 2020 – 45 per cent.
(c)Where a manufacturer or importer of electrical and electronic equipment has carried out recognised recovery of electrical and electronic equipment waste, the waste so recovered shall be regarded, for the purposes of the electrical and electronic equipment recycling target, as if recognised recycling had been carried out in respect of it, up to a rate of 5 per cent of the total weight of the electrical and electronic equipment sold by the manufacturer or importer in that year after deducting therefrom the weight of the electrical and electronic equipment waste transferred for reuse in that year.
(d)In this section, "weight of the electrical and electronic equipment" – excluding the weight of the batteries or accumulators that are part of such equipment at the time of sale.
Duty to Recycle Battery and Accumulator Waste§
4.
(a)A manufacturer and importer of batteries or accumulators shall, in each year, carry out recognised recycling of battery and accumulator waste, at the rates set out below, at a minimum, according to the types of batteries or accumulators, of the total weight of the batteries or accumulators of each type sold by the manufacturer or importer in that year (in this section – the battery recycling targets):
(1)batteries or accumulators containing lead – 30 per cent;
(2)batteries or accumulators containing nickel-cadmium – 35 per cent;
(3)other batteries or accumulators – 25 per cent.
(b)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a), in the period from the 29th of Tevet 5774 (1 January 2014) until the 23rd of Tevet 5779 (31 December 2018), the battery recycling targets shall be as set out below:
(1)for batteries or accumulators containing lead – 15 per cent;
(2)for batteries or accumulators containing nickel-cadmium – 20 per cent;
(3)for other batteries or accumulators – 12.5 per cent.
(c)In this section, "batteries or accumulators" – including batteries or accumulators that are part of electrical and electronic equipment sold by the same manufacturer or importer.

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Section B: Duties of Manufacturers and Importers regarding Reporting, Registration and Preparation of Instructions

Duty to Report to the Administrator§
5.
(a)A manufacturer and importer of electrical and electronic equipment shall report to the Administrator, by way of a semi-annual report and an annual report, on all of the following:
(1)the items of electrical and electronic equipment that they sold – the number of items, their types, their weight and the classification groups to which they belong, as well as the number and types of batteries or accumulators that were assembled in the said electrical and electronic equipment;
(2)the weight of the electrical and electronic equipment waste that they collected, by themselves or through another, as well as the details of persons responsible for waste removal, distributors or other persons from whom it was collected;
(3)the number of items of electrical and electronic equipment, out of the electrical and electronic equipment waste that was collected, in which reuse or preparation for reuse was carried out, according to the types of items, their weight and the classification groups to which they belong, as well as the name, address and identification number of the person to whom they were sold or transferred, and if that person is a corporation – the type of corporation and its number;
(4)the weight of the electrical and electronic equipment waste that they recycled or recovered, by themselves or through another, details of the manner of recycling or recovery, and the details of the treatment facility;
(5)the weight of the electrical and electronic equipment waste that they exported, the country to which the waste was exported, the details of the facility to which the waste was transferred in the destination country, and the type of process carried out on the waste at that facility;
(6)the instructions for the environmental treatment and preparation for reuse of electrical and electronic equipment that they prepared in respect of each item of electrical and electronic equipment during the reporting period.
(b)A manufacturer and importer of batteries or accumulators shall report to the Administrator by way of a semi-annual report and an annual report, on all of the following:
(1)the number of batteries or accumulators that they sold, their weight and their types;
(2)the weight of the battery and accumulator waste that they collected, by themselves or through another, as well as the details of persons responsible for waste removal, distributors or other persons from whom it was collected;
(3)the weight of the battery and accumulator waste that they recycled, by themselves or through another, details of the manner of recycling, and the details of the treatment facility;
(4)the weight of the battery and accumulator waste that they exported, the country to which the waste was exported, the details of the facility to which the waste was transferred in the destination country, and the type of process carried out on the waste at that facility;
(5)the instructions for the environmental treatment of batteries or accumulators that they prepared during the reporting period.
(c)A semi-annual report under this section shall be submitted to the Administrator within two months of the end of the period in respect of which the report is submitted, in the format directed by the Administrator.
(d)An annual report under this section shall be submitted to the Administrator no later than six months after the end of each financial year, audited by an auditor, in the format directed by the Administrator.
(e)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a) to (c), where four semi-annual reports have been submitted to the Administrator by manufacturers and importers, he may direct that the subsequent reports submitted to him shall be annual reports only.
(f)The Administrator or a person whom he has authorised for that purpose from among the employees of the Ministry may require a manufacturer or importer to furnish him with any information that was used in preparing a report under this section and also any information in his possession that was used in preparing the report under section 21 of a recognised implementation body with which he engaged pursuant to the provisions of section 8; where a manufacturer or importer is required to furnish such information, he shall furnish it at the time and in the manner specified in the demand.
(g)Where a manufacturer or importer has not submitted a report that he is required to submit under this section, or where he has submitted such a report but the Administrator has reasonable grounds to assume that the report is incorrect, the Administrator may, after affording the manufacturer or importer an opportunity to present his arguments, determine in a reasoned decision the rates of equipment and battery waste in respect of which the manufacturer or importer carried out reuse, recognised recycling or recognised recovery during the reporting period.
(h)For the purposes of this section, "semi-annual report" – a report in respect of a period of six months comprising the months of January to June, or July to December, in each year.
Duty of Registration of a Manufacturer and Importer§
6.
(a)A manufacturer and importer shall maintain a full and detailed register of the matters included in the duty to report under section 5.
(b)The Administrator or a person whom he has authorised for that purpose from among the employees of the Ministry may inspect the register referred to in this section and receive a true copy thereof.
Instructions for Environmental Treatment and Preparation for Reuse§
7.
(a)A manufacturer and importer shall prepare and publish instructions for the environmental treatment and preparation for reuse of electrical and electronic equipment, for each model of electrical and electronic equipment that they sell, and instructions for the environmental treatment of batteries and accumulators, for each battery or accumulator that they sell, within one year of the date of the first sale of each model of equipment and batteries.
(b)The publication of the instructions referred to in subsection (a) shall be carried out in a manner that is accessible to every person engaged in the sorting, preparation for reuse or treatment of equipment and battery waste.

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LawEnvironment

חוק לטיפול סביבתי בציוד חשמלי ואלקטרוני ובסוללות, תשע"ב-2012

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