Jordan: Sustainable waste management in Sahab municipality

Through this project (November 2019-November 2021), funded by SYCTOM, ACTED aims to reduce the adverse impact of solid waste on the environment and support the economic development of Sahab Municipality, near Amman, by expanding the existing municipal sorting centre. Moreover, ACTED also disseminated knowledge on sustainable waste management practices in community spaces and schools around Sahab.

Prior to ACTED’s intervention, the Sahab municipality started the construction of a 100-meter square municipal solid waste sorting centre in 2019 through funds secured from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

However, the facility’s capacity was not enough to meet the waste management needs of the 182,970 inhabitants of Sahab municipality.

Solid waste management services are a financial and economic burden on Sahab municipality’s budget which ACTED’s intervention aimed to alleviate by improving service efficiency and cost effectiveness.

As agreed with the municipality, ACTED focused its financial allocation on the sorting facility’s extension, enabling the center to reach its full capacity and sort 10-15 tons of municipal solid waste per day.

The works on the 150 m2 extension started on June 25th , 2021 and were completed on October 4th, 2021. Here workers are forming and pouring the concrete slab.

To expand the sorting centre, ACTED has opted for a prefabricated modular construction for more flexibility as well as to ensure the sustainability of the infrastructure. In addition, ACTED ensured daily supervision of the construction works through strong coordination and management of the hired contractor.

Here ACTED-hired workers are also completing the steel structure of the sorting facility’s extension.

Following a joint field visit by ACTED’s team and Sahab municipality representatives on October 4th to assess the completion of the works, ACTED proceeded with the official handover of the sorting centre to the Municipality.

Approximatively 4,000 residents of Sahab municipality were reached through awareness campaigns on segregation and recycling practices as well as environment protection. In particular, ACTED carried out 74 mobilisation sessions across 8 schools. Of the total number of community mobilisers facilitating these sessions, 50% were female.

To facilitate regular monitoring of the sorting facility, ACTED established a technical review committee which has been meeting monthly or bi-monthly as needed since July 2021. Here is pictured the October committee meeting.

Following the official completion of the sorting center’s extension on September 23rd 2021, Sahab Municipality has been engaged in the process of starting-up the facility through its connection to the public electricity and water grids.

The sorting centre is equipped with a cardboard baler which is a compact compressing machine that enables the municipality to recycle voluminous cardboard waste into compact bales.

To support the Municipality’s sorting scheme, ACTED supplied 31 blue garbage bins for recyclable waste in Al Gharbi and Salbood neighborhoods where there is a high percentage of refugee inhabitants.