Jordan

Country Data

The main aim of this regional solid waste management project is to design, develop and implement the main elements of Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) systems.

The total amount of solid waste generated daily in Jordan is approximately 4,000 tons, a rate per capita of 0.7 Kg/capita/day. This is expected to increase on account of development activities, population growth, and changing patterns of Jordanian consumption behaviour. In addition, changes in public awareness can also be expected to affect it. This will directly affect the waste stream and, consequently, the different phases of solid waste management. The combination of these changes can be expected to exert added pressure on to the Jordanian environment.

The primary environmental legislation in Jordan is Law No. 12 of 1995: Law for the Protection of the Environment. Although the management of wastes is addressed directly by Acts under this Law, these legal instruments address specifically dangerous and hazardous wastes and not solid wastes. However, a new by-law specifically to address solid waste management is now under discussion and, if approved, will be promulgated under the environmental law.

Cost recovery associated with solid waste is added to electricity bills at a rate that is determined by the size of the municipality in which a resident lives. Administration of this levy provides for the payment of a 10% administration fee to the electricity utility.
The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs provides funds through which municipalities finance waste management capital expenditures. International grants also play a significant role in financing waste management activities.

The Ministry of Environment has responsibility for regulating activities that may have an impact on the environment, including waste management.
For many years, waste management has been undertaken in the context of an inadequate policy and legislative direction and with insufficient financing. As a result, solid waste management systems have not been developed to adequate levels and collected waste is generally "managed" in dumps.

There are no standards or specifications for solid waste management in Jordan. No new landfills have been established for the past 15 years apart from one that serves Amman. In the absence of environmental standards for landfill design only the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process is available to evaluate new landfills.

Waste management is undertaken primarily by the public sector; no significant participation by the private sector has been identified. PSP currently appears to be confined to providing solid waste collection and transport services to industrial enterprises.

The absence of a national solid waste management strategy and a solid waste law is perceived to be the major obstacle to the development of an effective solid waste management sector in Jordan. There are no defined objectives, priorities or standards for solid waste management in the county. This situation prevents the creation of properly organised, regulated and cost-effective waste management services and acts as a major disincentive to the involvement of the private sector in the development of an integrated solid waste management industry. The legal framework needed to encourage private involvement in the provision of solid waste management services is absent.

Another obstacle facing the involvement of the private sector in solid waste services is the social dimension of employed manpower. It is believed that private involvement in the provision of these services could result in significant numbers of those currently employed by the public sector being made redundant.
Achieving the benefits of ISWM systems will require policies, legislation, strategies, regulations and standards for a successful service and are prerequisites for the willingness and effective participation of the private sector.

For more details please consult the attached country report [...]