Amman sanitation workers face heavy workload before Eid

AMMAN — Organic materials constitute between 60 and 65 per cent of household waste produced during the fasting month of Ramadan, the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) said on Wednesday.  

The amount of household waste produced in Amman has increased in the last week of Ramadan, said Basem Tarawneh, the deputy director of the GAM for districts and environment affairs.

“GAM teams usually collect 3,400 tonnes of waste a day during Ramadan and [on Wednesday night] workers are expected to collect 3,500 tonnes,” he told The Jordan Times in a phone interview. 

The amount of waste produced in Amman usually rises on the night before Eid Al Fitr, the feast marking the end of Ramadan, Tarawneh said. 

“Last year, GAM teams collected 3,750 tonnes of trash while this year they are expected to collect 5,300 tonnes,” the GAM official added. 

He said the quantity of trash increases by around 15 per cent during Ramadan, while around 3,000 tonnes of waste are collected on an average day the rest of the year. 

Tarawneh noted that although sanitation workers operate on three shifts during Ramadan, those on the night shift have the most work, as they start collecting trash after the evening iftar, which breaks the daily fast.  

Consumption of food and beverages rises in Ramadan in Jordan due to the change in people’s eating habits.