Waste-sorting project under experimentation in Irbid

AMMAN — The Greater Irbid Municipality on Monday implemented the first trial of a waste-sorting project, which is expected to reduce the amount of waste sent to the Akeider landfill, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Funded by the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ), the project seeks to reduce the pressure on the Akeider landfill, which currently receives 800 tonnes of waste daily.

Abdullah Abu Hassan, director of the environment department at the municipality, said that the project will be improved to include recycling and fertiliser production.

In 2014, the Environment Ministry signed four grant agreements with the the GIZ to improve the management of solid municipal waste, adaptation to climate change and protection of ecosystems, Petra reported.

The agreements, which were signed on the sidelines of the Eco-Cities of the Mediterranean 2014 Forum, are worth 6.5 million euros (around JD5.9 million) and will tackle three of the Kingdom’s critical challenges.

One of the agreements seeks to address the increasing amount of solid waste generated in governorates hosting Syrian refugees, which have witnessed a surging pressure on waste collection and management, particularly in the northern region.

With over 1.3 million Syrian refugees living in the country, the amounts of waste have increased, especially in the north of the Kingdom, amounting to around 2.2 million tonnes of solid municipal waste per year.