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Prospects of sustainable waste management in developing countries: A case study from Jordan

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Abstract

This study examined the key challenges obstructing the sustainable development in the waste management sector in Jordan. A questionnaire was designed and conveyed to stakeholders to collect their perspectives on the key challenges and the waste management data parameters. It was concluded that the most critical challenges are the lack of strict laws and legislation, inefficient management, insufficient financial capacity, the lack of strict laws and regulations, and the lack of public awareness and contribution. Nonetheless, waste management challenges in Jordan could be clustered under three dimensions: limited private sector involvement, weak institutional capacities, and poor community engagement. The inadequacy of waste management data in Jordan was tackled through the design of a simple and innovative databank system, and in accordance with recommendations inferred from the questionnaire. The databank system was developed in a way to guarantee the smooth and sustainable data monitoring and storage, and to allow users to generate daily, monthly, or annual progress reports in a simple manner.

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Availability of data and material

The data that support the findings of this research are available on request from the corresponding author.

Code availability

The databank Excel file (which contains all macros) is available on request from the corresponding author.

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Funding

This research was funded by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) within the Waste to (Positive) Energy project (Wt(P)E): Universities Cooperation with Jordanian Universities in frame of Supporting Refugees Hosting Communities in Sector of Waste Management.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Civil Engineering Department, School of Engineering, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan

    Husam A. Abu Hajar & Shadi Y. Moqbel

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, Al-Ahliyya Amman University, Amman, Jordan

    Lubna A. Al-Qaraleh

  3. Local Development Unit at Deir Alla Municipality, Deir Alla, Al-Balqa, Jordan

    Amal M. Alhawarat

Authors
  1. Husam A. Abu Hajar
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  2. Lubna A. Al-Qaraleh
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  3. Shadi Y. Moqbel
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  4. Amal M. Alhawarat
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Correspondence to Husam A. Abu Hajar.

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Abu Hajar, H.A., Al-Qaraleh, L.A., Moqbel, S.Y. et al. Prospects of sustainable waste management in developing countries: A case study from Jordan. Environ Monit Assess 193, 732 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-021-09522-z

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