How Jordanian tech entrepreneurs are tackling the country’s growing waste problem
As unsustainable garbage dumps continue to pose significant risks to local communities, Jordanian entrepreneurs are stepping up efforts to reduce these environmental hazards.
Across Jordan, residents are sounding the alarm over unofficial garbage dumps, where piles of household waste, construction debris and other waste are growing on the outskirts of major cities.
Witnesses in several prefectures say piles of trash have become a common sight in the Levant. The country’s solid waste crisis is worsening, threatening the lives of 11.9 million people.
“Jordan generates 2.7 million tons of solid municipal waste every year, but only 7 percent is recycled and a whopping 93 percent is buried or left in the open,” said Raeda, Director of Solid Waste Management.・Mr. Al-Auran says. Department of the Ministry of Local Government.
The problem extends beyond the proliferation of informal landfills in the countryside, with even Jordan’s official landfills described as “ticking time bombs”.
Of the 21 formal garbage dumps, only Al Eqaidah and Al Gabawi Landfills are designed to minimize environmental and public health risks. The remainder consists of either unsanitary landfills where trash is buried, or open dumps that lack proper containment procedures.
More than 480,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste is generated every day by 480 million people living in 23 MENA countries, but only 9% is recycled, making Jordan uniquely suited to meet this growing challenge. I’m not going to stand up to you. By 2030 this number is predicted to increase to 580,000 tons.
As the Jordanian government seeks to implement a national solid waste strategy, unsanitary and unsustainable garbage dumps continue to pose a significant risk to the country’s communities and environment.
Jordanian entrepreneurs are now working to reduce these risks.
Startups struggle, but lessons can be learned
On the outskirts of Tafila, about 180 kilometers southwest of Jordan’s capital, desert roads wind through hilly terrain dotted with sparsely vegetated mountains, creating a beautiful landscape that locals have long cherished.
However, this beautiful backdrop is now plagued by the inescapable stench of piles of garbage littering the mountainside.
“We saw the solid waste crisis growing in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and wanted to do something about it,” says Jordanian recycling startup T-Cycle Omar Al Homaisa, one of the founders of It operates on a pay-per-service basis.
The startup, founded in 2020, has launched a mobile app to encourage low-income households in Tarifa to provide recycling services to tackle the province’s garbage crisis.
Residents could choose to sell their recyclables instead of disposing of them in unsanitary landfills.
The project recycles more than 37,000 kilograms of solid waste over four years, at a cost of about $25 per 10 kilograms, and serves approximately 13 schools, six banks and 120 households in Tarifa.
“We also created a points system that rewards our subscribers with perks like restaurant discounts, hotel stays, and entertainment perks. This keeps our subscribers active and engaged in the program while fostering community partnerships.” It motivates them to do the same,” says Al Komaisa.
Al-Khomaysa said that by taking photos of waste, users can take advantage of the app’s one-way scanning technology, which helps in sorting the waste and determining its recyclability.
T-Cycle’s algorithms then optimize garbage collection routes and schedule collection appointments.
Once the waste arrives at our facility, it goes through a secondary sorting process before being sent into the recycling chain through our contracted suppliers.
T-Cycle is currently the only startup in Jordan offering households the opportunity to sell their trash for a fee, but it’s not the only one.
Green Jo was making recycling accessible to Amman residents through an application. Waste management services purchased waste directly from households and businesses and transported it to recycling facilities.
After helping 2,990 households sort and recycle their waste since 2020, the startup will cease operations in 2023.
Other initiatives, such as Manwa Al Munais’ Helfate Tahme Beati (which empowered Jordan’s poor women to make artisan products from recycled solid waste), could not compete.
“Initially with support from the Royal Society, we were able to provide tools and work space to train hundreds of women to separate solid waste and create handmade crafts with it. ” said Al Munais.
“I quit because I couldn’t cover the rent after the pandemic.”
Ghazi Al-Sharqawi, co-founder of Samad, a startup that helps farmers turn organic waste into organic fertilizer that can be used in agriculture, said some companies were unable to scale and ultimately The closure caused a shock to the entire ecosystem.
“Some startups offered prices that didn’t justify the costs they needed to grow quickly,” he says. new arab, “But as unfortunate as it is, this experience has taught us that we always need to match supply and demand.”
Founded in 2021, the startup serves 100 farmers across Jordan. This includes customized composting techniques based on the type of organic waste produced and the crops planted.
“We primarily provide counseling services to farmers and guide them through the process of composting their organic waste into fertilizer. We’re trying to make a profit,” he says.
Increased waste limits growth
Due to limited waste segregation in Jordan, plastics and other semi-permanent waste end up in landfills, resulting in an annual waste growth rate of 3% .
According to Ghaida Salameh, acting executive director of the Jordan Green Building Council, emissions from this accumulated waste are exacerbating the country’s environmental problems.
“Recycling could be a solution to this country’s growing waste problem,” she says. “I would argue that recycling is deeply ingrained in Jordanian culture, with candy boxes being turned into yarn containers and oil cans being given new life as planters.”
However, despite the urgent need for solutions, Jordan’s recycling sector still struggles with several hurdles hindering its growth, Al-Awlan revealed.
“There is no government support for waste recycling, only minimal support for solid waste management,” she says.
“The department relies on donor support to keep the sector afloat. There is also limited market demand for recycling and a lack of public awareness, all of which worsen the situation. Masu.”
This article is published in collaboration with Egab
Shefaa Kuda is an independent journalist based in Jordan, specializing in human rights and freedoms. She has previously collaborated with the International Network of Journalists, Raseef22, My Kali, Investigative Arab Reporters, and has won awards from human rights journalists and legal aid organization Tamkeen for her human rights reporting.
