Two tonnes of harmful plastic particles are contaminating Israel’s Mediterranean coastline, with Tel Aviv and Hadera the worst hit.

Researchers say food packaging, single-use plastic products and fishing nets are among the main pollutants. They warn that humans cannot avoid exposure to the microplastic waste, which is dangerous to health and to the environment.

In 2021 the researchers collected sand samples from six beaches from Haifa to Ashkelon. Their findings reveal that the stretches of coastline nearest streams, such as at Tel Aviv and Hadera, are four times worse affected than other coastlines because water courses carry microplastic particles, most commonly polyethylene and polypropylene, into the sea.

Worryingly, Dor Beach nature reserve, between Hadera and Haifa, which is cleaned frequently, still had significant levels of microplastic particles.

dr ines zucker tel aviv uni

Dr Ines Zucker at work at Tel Aviv University

The Tel Aviv University study conducted in collaboration with the Mediterranean Sea Research Centre of Israel was led by Andrey Ethan Rubin and Limor Omeysi from the laboratory of Dr Ines Zucker, of the Fleischman Faculty of Engineering and the Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences.

“Our research reveals that the Israeli coastline likely contains over two tonnes of microplastic waste,” said Mr Rubin.

“Environmental conditions slowly break this plastic down into even smaller particles. The smaller the plastic particles, the harder it is to remove them from the environment, and the more dangerous they are to the environment and to our health.

“The particles that drift into the sea are swallowed by fish and their remains eventually reach humans.

“It was interesting to see that plastics of terrestrial origin, such as food packaging, were more dominant than plastics of marine origin, such as fishing nets. This indicates a need for better regulation of coastal waste.”

Dr Zucker told the JC that although regulation could not be fixed overnight, other action could be taken immediately. “The first thing we can do is consume fewer single-use products, especially those made of plastics,” she said.