Severe penalties are imposed for unauthorized dumping. According to proposed changes in the Dumping Protocol of the Barcelona Convention, it is expected that all dumping activities in the Mediterranean Sea will be terminated within 2-3 years. Plants which once violated marine pollution prevention laws with impunity, are now listening to the professional advice offered by the inspectors. Litter Solid waste, including nylon, plastic, bottles and driftwood, contributes significantly to the aesthetic degradation of the shores. While current wind patterns in the eastern Mediterranean are responsible for the deposition of significant quantities of waste from other states on Israel's shores, at least half the litter on the beaches is left behind by vacationers and bathers.
Local authorities are responsible for routine cleaning of all authorized bathing beaches in Israel.
Since 1984 the Ministry of the Environment has financed the cleaning of all open beaches during the bathing season. In recent years, several large-scale volunteer cleanup campaigns have been undertaken by the Ministry, in cooperation with NGOs such as the Society for the Protection of Nature, with the joint goal of cleaning beaches and the sea floor and increasing environmental awareness. Israel has ratified the 1976 Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution and its related protocols. Studies include systematic monitoring of heavy metals along the Israeli coastline, microbial pollutiin bathing beacand monitoring of atmospheric pollution input into the Mediterranean in Ashdod, Hadera, and Haifa. This project is progressing, and meetings, courses, and training are being held.