Hebron forced to crack down on lucrative, dangerous scrap trade
The local authorities are fighting the scrap trade in Hebron, where people burn used goods to extract valuable materials despite the damage it causes to the environment and public health.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Consulate General of Sweden in the Palestinian territories decided to renew a monthly grant of $6,000 as part of the efforts to fight the practice of scrap burning in Idhna, a town in Hebron governorate in the southern West Bank.
Idhna Mayor Muammar Tamizha told Al-Monitor that the Consulate General of Sweden in the Palestinian territories officially communicated its decision to renew the grant for three additional months on Aug. 9. The grant, which was created in April and first delivered in May, pays the municipality-appointed inspectors working for a program to end the scrap burning and prosecute those involved.
The scrap trade involves hundreds of people in Idhna, Deir Sammit and Beit Awwa in Hebron governorate. Raw materials are extracted from scrap commodities — which merchants purchase from Israel at low prices or smuggle into the West Bank — and sold to merchants, which in turn sell to Israeli traders.
Commodities such as electronics, electrical wiring and cables and vehicle engines are all recycled this way in the West Bank. Scrap commodities are sorted by quality. Still usable commodities are sold in retail shops, and damaged goods are handled differently. For instance, electrical cables are burned to extract copper and electronic devices are burned to obtain silver, iron and aluminum.
