EU, EBRD and donors support community clean-up initiative in Amman
The one-day event, which took place on 4 July 2026, brought together young people, families and local stakeholders for a hands-on clean-up of a public park, encouraging responsible waste disposal and environmental awareness.
The clean-up took place alongside a public discussion among community members, local authorities and environmental experts to talk about the challenges and solutions to waste management. Engaging and creative activities were also organised to raise awareness among children and families.
There was also an opportunity for stakeholders to hear feedback from the public on waste management, helping to shape future awareness campaigns and policy decisions.
Attendees included Youssef Shawarbeh, Mayor of the Greater Amman Municipality, Gretchen Biery, EBRD Director for the Eastern Mediterranean region, Pierre-Christophe Chatzisavas, European Union ambassador to Jordan, and environmental experts and community representatives.
The event is part of a broader initiative – supported by the EBRD and its donors – to improve solid waste management systems and promote sustainable urban development in Jordan. It complements ongoing investments in infrastructure by addressing the behavioural and community dimensions of waste management.
The EBRD has worked closely with GAM since 2015, along with the EU and the EBRD Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Multi Donor Account: funded by Australia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Taiwan Business-EBRD Technical Cooperation Fund, and the United Kingdom, to support improvements in waste management. These include financing energy-efficient and environmentally friendly infrastructure, such as an additional landfill cell at Al Ghabawi landfill and a landfill gas recovery system that generates electricity from waste.
Amman has also joined the EBRD Green Cities programme, which helps cities identify and address key environmental challenges to improve urban sustainability. Under this programme, the EBRD, alongside the GCF and with EU-backed guarantees, is supporting critical investments in solid waste management in Amman.
In 2019, the EBRD and the EU implemented a solid waste awareness campaign in 20 public schools in Amman, benefiting more than 2,000 students from Jordan and Syria.
The community clean-up event reinforces these efforts by empowering citizens to take an active role in protecting their environment, helping to build more sustainable and resilient communities across Amman.