AMMAN —
Jordan’s government wants to establish a body that would organize the work of
waste pickers, but economists said it was more viable for specialized firms to
do the job.
اضافة اعلان
There is an estimated 7,000 waste pickers, working
independently and without government licenses in Amman and other governorates,
like Zarqa and Irbid, Amman Net reported. Of the total, 22 percent are believed
to be Syrian refugees.
Economist
Jawad Al-Anani, a former Cabinet minister,
told
Jordan News that the government should provide scrap pickers with
other jobs, and establish companies to deal with collecting recyclables, which
include carton boards, paper, and plastics.
Youssef Mansour, also a former minister, said that
the government “should ask why these people are directed to work picking
garbage?” he proclaimed, referring to the worsening financial conditions of
many Jordanian families.
Last March, Oxfam discussed in a meeting it hosted
with representatives of non-governmental organizations and representatives of
the private and public sectors a recent study it managed, which was compiled by
LDK consultants. It purported to assess the condition of the waste sector in
Jordan, the situation of waste pickers and their important role in recycling.
NGO representatives were consulted on the report and
its most prominent conclusions in order to help issue recommendations that
would develop the report before sending it to the stakeholders, including
public entities and some private sector institutions, who, in turn, should come
up with decisions related to developing and regulating the work of the waste
picking sector.
This study was part of the
Turning Waste into Positive Energy project funded by the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the
Syrian Crisis, and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and
Development. It was implemented through the German Foundation for International
Cooperation in partnership with Oxfam.
The motive is economic, not environmental, and when we say that this phenomenon is unregulated, this means that it may have a negative environmental impact
It was based on interviews with waste pickers, scrap
dealers, brokers and contractors in different governorates of the Kingdom, as
well as stakeholders from relevant ministries and municipalities.
It also illustrated the economic and environmental
contribution of waste pickers in Jordan, especially as they have a major role
in collecting and sorting recyclable materials from waste and providing
low-cost materials that are used in local industries, as well as their
important role in protecting the environment.
According to the study, Amman sat atop Jordanian
governorates in informal waste pickers, with more than 3,000 pickers involved
in this sector, followed by Irbid and Zarqa, with some 1,500–2,000 pickers
each.
The study also revealed that 50 percent of the
pickers entered the sector before the age of 20, and 83 percent of them worked
for more than five years in the sector.
About 50 percent of the pickers involved are aged 30
to 44, according to the study, and that pickers it interviewed work six days a
week, starting between 6 and 8 am, with about 10 percent starting before 6 am.
The
Greater Amman Municipality recently announced
the establishment of a solid waste management company, with the aim of creating
an umbrella organization to direct the work of waste pickers, to train and
qualify them, in cooperation with international bodies, and in partnership with
the private sector.
Sometimes we are exposed to some risks while searching containers, such as an insect sting, and wounds
Omar Shushan, president of the Jordanian Federation
of Environmental Associations, said waste pickers are a “widespread
phenomenon, but it is not regulated.”
“The motive is economic, not environmental, and when
we say that this phenomenon is unregulated, this means that it may have a
negative environmental impact,” he told
Jordan
News.
Shushan explained that collecting waste in some
areas where there are water springs or some leafy crops or near residential
neighborhoods may affect people’s health.
Abu Faisal, who has worked in collecting scrap since
2007, told
Jordan News that he chose this job due to his difficult
economic situation and his retirement salary, which was barely sufficient to
pay for his children’s education.
“Sometimes we are exposed to some risks while
searching containers, such as an insect sting, and wounds,” the man said in a
frail voice. “We also suffer from unpleasant odors, especially in the summer,
and in winter we also suffer, as waste mixes with rainwater and it becomes
difficult for us to separate the waste.”
He pointed out that some of the waste pickers are university graduates
who could not find jobs and resorted to waste picking to provide for their
families.
Muhammad Al-Helou from the
National Center for Human Rights told
Jordan News that waste pickers could encounter dangers
because of the absence of the conditions of occupational health and safety in
the work environment.
He said there are some people who consider waste
picking a suitable job because it pays well, as some may earn JD1,000 per
month.
Ahmed Obeidat, a spokesperson for the Ministry of
Environment, said that waste pickers, whether male or female, want additional
income, and there may be a national goal to recycle waste.
Therefore, the Ministry of Environment is keen to
have an organized role for this category, in cooperation with the Greater Amman
Municipality, the Recycling Project in Jordan, under USAID’s support.
We are a vulnerable group with difficult living conditions,
He said several training courses have been held to
bolster education. He said at least 16 training courses, with 400 trainees,
have been held so far.
Obeidat stressed that the goal is to reach 1,800 trainees,
educating them on the positive elements behind recycling, and how to deal with
waste to avoid risks when sorting it.
He stressed that it is the role of the
Ministry of Environment, in cooperation with the concerned authorities, to seek a legislative
system to organize this category and to find a mechanism to deal with workers
as official waste pickers.
Head of the Workers’ House Hamada Abu Nijmeh told
Jordan News that he and peers “fear most that the procedures they are talking about would
turn into complex bureaucratic practices.”
“We are a
vulnerable group with difficult living conditions,” he said, pointing to
challenges which he already faces, including the potential of low and irregular
income, lack of social security and health insurance.
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