The Ministry of Environmental Protection is alleging that Rami Levy Chain Stores Hashikma Marketing 2006 Ltd.'s (TASE:RMLI) owner has not contracted with corporations for recycling packaging and electronic waste, as required by law.
In recent days the Ministry of Environmental Protection sent Levi an announcement of its intention of imposing a NIS 150,000 fine on him, alleging that the cellular company he owns, Rami Levi Communications, had not contracted with one of the two corporations authorized by it to collect and recycle electronic waste: Ecommunity and M.A.I Recycling of Electronic Waste and Batteries.
In addition, the Ministry of Environmental Protection has been asserting for some time that Levi has not contracted with industrial recycling company Tamir for recycling of packaging, as legally required. According to Ministry of Environmental Protection deputy director general Guy Samet, Levy's supermarket chain is marketing products under the Hamutag independent brand, which obligates him to contract with the industrial recycling company.
Samet told "Globes" that Levi had received written notices in the past, some by registered mail, telling him to reach agreement with Tamir and one of the two electronic waste recycling companies, but had not answered.
"Rami Levi and his staff know that these requirements involving packing and electronic waste apply to them, but they choose to ignore the fact. We have received no answer from them, despite repeated messages from us. The announcement of the fine that will be imposed on Levy if he does not contract with the recycling corporations, as legally required, within several weeks, is only the beginning. If the company continues to ignore the legal regulations, we will open criminal proceedings against it," Samet stated.
Samet added that if Levi changes his ways and contracts with the recycling corporations, as he is required to do, he will be required to pay them retroactively, based on his catalogue of packaging and the annual recycling of the businesses he owns.
Levi is only one of the 14 marketers to receive notice in recent days, signed by Samet, of a NIS 150,000 fine for not having contracted with the recycling corporation for electronic waste. Other marketers in this category include Maslamani Group, Family Line Marketing, Klinton International Trade, and others.
Ministry of Environmental Protection figures show that 40% of the companies active in the market have not yet contracted with one of the two corporations for recycling electronic waste. Half of the companies have not yet contracted with Tamir, which recycles packaging under the Packaging Law. It should be noted that the resources at the disposal of the Ministry of Environmental Protection in this matter are limited, with only three officials dealing with the matter.
Commenting to "Globes" on the allegations against him, Levy said, "I don't know what they're talking about. People from the ministry probably contacted inactive companies registered with the Registrar of Companies. Any response that has to be made I'll make to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, because in cases in which there are requirements that apply to companies that are active, we have contracted with those we should have under the law. I suggest that the Ministry of Environmental Protection do what it's supposed to do, such as regulating the market for collecting empty beverage bottles for recycling."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on August 28, 2016
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