Improving Solid Waste Management & Income Creation in Host Communities - Rehabilitation of Al Ekaider Landfill

The deterioration of the security and humanitarian situation in Syria has forced hundreds of thousands of Syrians to flee and seek refuge in neighbouring countries, including Jordan, placing a considerable burden on local Jordanian host communities and their basic social and economic services. Crowding effects in the local market, in particular with regards to housing and labour, are widely reported in the Northern governorates as is the pressure on basic service delivery, especially solid waste management, where municipalities are unable to meet the demands. In addition, a growing feeling of unfairness and exclusion are emerging among Jordanians, especially the poorer and more vulnerable groups.

One of the major issues faced at the regional level is solid waste management and treatment, and UNDP will provide support to the Joint Services Council in the Northern governorate of Irbid and in Mafraq and North Shouneh, to improve solid waste management at the Al Ekaider Landfill and Hussainiyat Landfill, and at old dumpsites in west Irbid that would become MSW Transfer Stations, while offering durable solutions for improvement of social service delivery to the affected populations through ensuring that the assistance provided in the current context complements, governmental development efforts.

The current project proposal is an integral part of the overall programme framework “Mitigating the impact of the Syrian refugee crisis on Jordanian vulnerable host communities”, signed by UNDP and the Government of Jordan.

In order to address this situation, UNDP has planned several activities in this project, that includes:

1.Infrastructre works at Al Ekaider landfill, Hussainiyat Landfill, Nourth Shouneh Transfer station and sorting facility, Taibeh transfer station, to enhance municipal services, environment and enhance SW management I general.

2. Machinery and equipment supply to JSC- Irbid and JSC- Mafraq to support their operation.

3. Capacity building through expertise exchange, trainings, workshop, learining tours for local community members, MoMA staff, waste pickers and other stakeholders.

4. Livilihood and women empowerment through compost plant in Mafraq and through Recyclalbles collection Centers and sorting facilities.

Main Outputs

The overall objective of the project is to improve the solid waste management cycle by complimenting the efforts undertaken by the different stakeholders on efficient and effective basic services delivery.

1. Infrastructure of Al Ekaider Landfill: Including new admin building , rehabilitation of exisiting building, new guard room, rehabilitation and extension of machinery workshop, Roads rehabilitation including green belt and PV based street lighting.

2. New Sanitary Landfill :Construction of the first sanitary cell with MoMA, of 60,000 m2 area , 1,100,000 m3 capacity and over 800,000 tons of waste wit a leachate collection lagoon.

3. Transfer Stationsand sorting facilities : Construction of two transfer station for MSW , a

   final sorting center and recyclables collection centers and community level.

4. Machinery & Equipment: Support MoMA and municiplalites and Joint services counciles

   with required machinery and equipment for their operation.

5. Local communities’ livelihoods :Through the sorting facility compost plant operation

   creating income for local communities.

1. Capacity building: Through several training workshops and learning visits with various subjects of management and operation and technical subjects.

2. Women Empowement : Through capacity building, support women participation in decision making at govermnetal and community levels and through creating job opportunities directed for women.

3. Enancement of waste pickers situation at Al Ekaider landfill, and introducing a new contract modality for all waste picking contracts in agreement with MoMA.

Achievements

1. Infrastructure of Al Ekaider Landfill: Completion of EIA update for Al Ekaider in 2015 - Completion of building and workshop construction works in January 2017 – Completion of Landfill Saniary cell construction in October 2017 – Completion of roads rehabilitation designs in December 2017 – Providing Waste Pickers with proper PPE and infrastructure with approved new contract modility that protects their rights completed in December 2017.

2. Transfer Stationsand sorting facilities : Selection of sites, start of EIA and design in 2018.

3. Machinery & Equipment: Providing machinery completed in March 2017.

4. Local communities’ livelihoods :Through composting plant, direct job opportunities

   created for 30 persons (of them 16 women), and planned to increase later on.

5. Capacity building: trainings on the subjects of (SWM with focus on Landfill , Finance of

   SWM (Cost Recovery) , Fleet Management , Training Course on Transfer Station Management and Operation , Sanitary Landfill operation training, Laeraning visit to Al Ghabawi landfill , and to Turkey , Training for waste pickers) were completed during 2016 and 2017.

6. Women Empowement: Increase of women participation in decision making in JSC-Irbid and MoMA, capacity building for women in MoMA and local communities, creating jobs and training opportunities for women at the pilot compot plant during 2017 and continuing in 2018.