Supporting Jordan in developing a modern and eco-friendly waste management system

Context

Over the past decade, Jordan has witnessed a significant increase in waste generation. This trend is expected to double in the next 15 years. The country currently generates around 2.7 million tons of municipal solid waste annually, with half of it originating in the capital city of Amman alone. This rise in waste is mainly due to the influx of Syrian refugees as well as the improved living conditions of the Jordanian people. The absence of a systematic waste management approach often results in the landfilling of unsorted waste, including hazardous materials. The Jordanian government has thus made inter-ministerial cooperation, job creation, and involving the private sector top priorities to develop the waste management system.

Objective

Waste management and the cooperation between public and private sector partners in this field is improved.

Approach

The project works closely with key political partners, including the Ministry of Local Administration (MoLA), Greater Amman Municipality (GAM), and the Ministry of Environment (MoEnv). It aims to boost institutional capabilities, promote better cooperation through dialogue and streamline the implementation of waste management. This is achieved by:

• facilitating the update of the “National Waste Management Strategy”, supporting municipalities to improve household sorting, and bolstering private sector involvement;
• implementing plans to enhance digital waste monitoring and address hazardous waste concerns;
• tackling bottlenecks by using the Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation or PDIA approach in cooperation with Technical University (TU) of Darmstadt

to address and improve the waste management landscape in Jordan.

Last update: November 2023