A medical waste container.

Palestinians are dumping medical waste without proper treatment, posing a potential health hazard to wells, streams and wildlife, according to a report by environmental group Green Now and the Association of Cities in Judea and Samaria.

The main problem cited in the report is that on the Palestinian side there is no separation between household waste, which does not pose a hazard, and medical waste, which can contain blood samples as well as syringes and bottles. Medical waste needs to be taken care of at a separate site, as is done in Israel. The report claims that the Palestinian Authority does not enforce separating household waste (which does not pose a hazard) and medical waste (which can be hazardous) and disposes of them at the same spot in the West Bank, adversely affecting Palestinian and Israeli residents alike.

According to the report’s findings, the amount of waste generated by the Israeli and Palestinian populations in Judea and Samaria stands at 2,070 tons a day, and 756,000 tons a year. Some 18 percent of the waste comes from the Israeli population and 82 percent from the Palestinians.