Ammon News - By Hana Namrouqa/ Jordan Times

AMMAN — Greater Amman Municipality’s (GAM) sanitation workers collected more than 52,000 tonnes of waste since the start of Ramadan, reporting over a 10 per cent increase in household waste production during the fasting month.

Garbage trucks normally deal with a daily load of 2,400 tonnes and 2,800 tonnes on Saturdays, but the figures have risen during Ramadan to 2,650 and 3,000 tonnes respectively, according to GAM.

The director of the waste processing department at GAM, Omar Arabiyat, said on Wednesday that some 52,839 tonnes of waste were collected from Amman’s 22 districts, highlighting a 10 per cent increase in waste generation during Ramadan’s weekdays, and an 8 per cent increase on Saturdays.

“Waste production amounts vary from one area to another, with Wadi Al Seer, Tlaa Al Ali and Basman areas generating the highest amounts of waste, and Abu Nuseir, Shafa Badran and Bader Al Jadidah areas generating the least,” Arabiyat underscored.

The GAM official added that efforts to monitor the capital’s sanitation conditions have been intensified around malls, restaurants and commercial areas, as the last 10 days of Ramadan witness increased activities in preparation for Eid Al Fitr (the Muslim feast marking the end of fasting).

Arabiyat said GAM sanitation teams, waste collection stations and landfills are operating around-the-clock to keep the city clean during Ramadan, which also coincided with the summer holiday, during which thousands of expatriates return home for vacation.

The working hours of street cleaners and sanitation workers were increased to seven hours per shift to ensure that they continue operating after iftar.

In the capital, 152 trucks and compactors collect garbage, which is taken to a station in east Amman before being transported in large containers to the Ghabawi Landfill, where it is buried in accordance with scientific and environment-friendly techniques.

Situated some 25 kilometres east of Amman, the Ghabawi Landfill serves the capital and the central region.

Established in 2003 at a cost of JD16 million, the 3,000-square-metre landfill has the capacity to handle 2,500 tonnes of garbage per day.