Israel's Eilat becomes first Israeli city to ban disposables on beaches

JERUSALEM -- Israel's southernmost Red Sea resort city of Eilat announced on Thursday its decision to ban the use of disposable products on its beaches.

The ban, the first of its kind in Israel, will include plastic-made cutlery, plates, cups, straws, bags, lids, stirrers and packaging, as well as disposable products made from other materials such as aluminum, cardboard and paper.

Offenders will be fined up to 730 new shekels ($210), according to the city council's decision.

"Disposable products break down to particles on land and sea, thereby harming marine and terrestrial animals that misidentify plastic and particles as food or become entangled in products and die as a result of suffocation or internal injury," the municipality explained.