Amman, May 19 (Petra) -- Minister of Environment Ayman Suleiman said the government is pressing ahead with the 2026-2027 executive program of the national cleanliness and anti-littering strategy to improve public cleanliness and environmental conditions across the Kingdom’s governorates.
Suleiman stressed the need to integrate government and community efforts and promote positive environmental behavior to curb random waste dumping.
He said the Cabinet, during its session last Sunday, reviewed a briefing on the implementation of the strategy’s executive program, including an assessment report covering achievements since the program began, current challenges and the roadmap for the next phase.
The report showed that public cleanliness levels in several locations remain below the desired standard despite ongoing efforts, Suleiman said. He added that the program aims to create a sustainable and qualitative shift in public cleanliness, requiring continued coordination among government agencies, the private sector and local communities, along with stronger environmental awareness and responsible behavior.
Key challenges include continued negative practices, such as random littering at tourist sites and city outskirts, increased pressure on picnic areas, staff shortages and delays in some tenders, he noted. These challenges require stronger monitoring and improved field response.
Suleiman said the program has carried out 1,012 cleanup campaigns with the participation of nearly 42,000 people, collecting 345 tons of waste. The program also distributed containers and sorting bins at various sites and schools, as well as biodegradable and reusable bags for picnickers.
On infrastructure, he said thousands of containers and bins have been distributed in parks, along roads and at tourist sites. Waste-sorting efforts in schools have also been expanded, and bins have been installed along key roads. In addition, 80,000 reusable car bags and 120,000 biodegradable waste bags were distributed to picnickers, universities, schools and associations. Authorities also identified 39 picnic sites and prepared executive plans for each entity during picnic seasons.
In tourist areas, Suleiman said service infrastructure was upgraded in Umm Al-Naml, Barqash, and Wadi Al-Rayan through cooperation among the ministries of Tourism and Antiquities, Environment, Public Works and Housing, and Local Administration. The work included installing sanitary units and service kiosks, building earthen barriers to protect vegetation cover, and providing sites with 80 metal containers and 50 hanging bins.
The ministry has also strengthened environmental monitoring and law enforcement by installing 300 mobile cameras to detect violations across municipalities and in the capital, Suleiman said. Since the start of the program and until mid-May 2026, authorities recorded about 53,468 violations, including 40,279 for throwing waste from vehicle windows under the Traffic Law, 9,672 under the Waste Management Framework Law, and 3,517 for littering in Aqaba.
He added that the ministry launched hotline 117119 and WhatsApp numbers to receive environmental complaints, in addition to developing an electronic system to automate violations and link them to mobile devices ahead of trial operation in the coming period.
On media and awareness, Suleiman said a broad national campaign has been implemented through digital billboards in the capital, Bus Rapid Transit screens, bridge billboards and displays in Aqaba. The campaign also included hundreds of awareness lectures in schools, universities and youth camps, the publication of awareness materials and videos through media outlets and social media platforms, millions of mobile messages and notifications through the Sanad government application, and thousands of awareness activities in public schools.
The ministry also expanded partnerships with the Ministry of Youth, Public Security Directorate, Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Jordan Tourism Board, Ministry of Education, the private sector, nonprofit institutions, universities and community initiatives.
Suleiman said the next phase includes launching and implementing a comprehensive national media campaign with a specialized company until the end of the year. The campaign will include social media management, awareness content and videos, initiatives, competitions, television messages, radio spots, digital billboards in the capital, BRT screens and bridge billboards in governorates, with a focus on the tourism and economic dimensions, highlighting sanitation workers’ efforts and strengthening compliance with the law.
The next phase will also include continued intensive cleanup campaigns across all governorates, a nationwide campaign at the start of each month, the distribution of more than 1.3 million car bags in cooperation with the Ministry of Local Administration, 7,000 metal containers, 12,000 plastic containers and 42,000 hanging bins. Authorities will also distribute 250,000 biodegradable waste bags during cleanup campaigns and to picnickers.
Awareness programs will continue in cooperation with the ministries of Awqaf, Youth, Education, and Tourism, while partnerships with the private sector, universities and community initiatives will be strengthened. Monitoring of restaurants, commercial markets and shops will also be intensified to ensure the cleanliness of their surroundings and compliance with environmental and health requirements.
Suleiman said the next phase will also include launching the "Clean Residential Street" and "Clean Commercial Street" initiatives in cooperation with the Amman Chamber of Commerce, as well as the "Our Neighborhood Is Cleaner" initiative in cooperation with the Ministry of Awqaf, to promote environmental behavior in neighborhoods, places of worship, tourist and archaeological sites, and picnic areas.
The minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to implementing the program, addressing challenges, improving field response, strengthening oversight, detecting violations and raising environmental awareness to gradually improve public cleanliness and achieve the program’s objectives.
//Petra// AO
