GAM, environment society roll out paper waste segregation drive

AMMAN — A paper waste management project was launched on Sunday in Jubaiha as part of the second phase of a programme raising awareness on waste segregation. 

The project is being carried out by the Environment Studies and Awareness Department at the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) in cooperation with the Jordan Environment Society, Manager of the Environment Studies and Awareness Department Omar Arabiyat told The Jordan Times on Monday.

Based upon an agreement between GAM and the Jordan Environment Society, a series of projects have been launched to foster partnership, focusing on the concept of waste segregation starting with members of GAM, he said.

“Our message is to provide our members with sufficient awareness of and experience with paper waste separation, and considering we are a service institution, our experience in sorting will be passed on to citizens,” Arabiyat noted.

GAM has a department specialising in environmental awareness, which organises courses and periodic visits led by trained and qualified personnel, according to Arabiyat.  

The goal of these efforts, he said, are to make GAM to be the “starting point” for improving the services provided to Jordanians, through increasing awareness of the importance of litter management and waste cost reduction.

The first phase of the paper waste management project was launched in August 2018 at GAM’s office in Abdali. At that time, a number of recycling containers were supplied, Arabiyat said.

“So far we covered Tla Al Ali in July, Sweileh in September, Jubaiha this October and there are three other areas to be covered. Then, we will aim to implement the project across all of Amman,” he explained.

Citywide commercial and residential locations will be targetted in another project, which will begin on November 23 in cooperation with the German Agency for International Cooperation to provide the “best environmental management strategy” in managing not only paper, but dry residues and non-recyclable material, said the GAM official.

“With the limited paper waste management in the Kingdom, which is only within particular institutes and houses, awareness should be raised concerning the environmental footprint of waste segregation,” the official said.