Shawarbeh highlights GAM’s emission reduction strategy

AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) has cut its electricity bill by 40 to 45 per cent, thanks to a waste-to-energy project started in 2019, Amman Mayor Yousef Shawarbeh said on Monday. 

During a panel discussion, organised by Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation's cultural forum in cooperation with the Arab Forum for Environment and Development "AFED", Shawarbeh highlighted GAM’s efforts to reduce emissions and save power, notably by installing LED street lights and the waste-to-energy project introduced in 2019. 

Highlighting GAM's new strategy for managing waste, Shawarbeh revealed that a waste management company fully owned by the municipality has been established.  

He added that 90 per cent of pollution in Amman is caused by traffic, noting that a number of tenders are in the works, including the rehabilitation of the King Abdullah park in the Wadi Saqrah region, as well as a tender related to 15 electric buses, adding that 136 new buses will enter service before the end of the year. 

A total of 13 new public parks will be built in Amman as part of GAM's 2022–2026 strategy, while another 12 parks will be rehabilitated, he said.

Regarding traffic management plans, he said that GAM is preparing to float a tender to roll out a camera-based traffic management system, a move meant to prevent parking violations, the running of traffic lights, littering, and other violations.