The City of Karak has a very significant, strategic location in Jordan and covers an area of 3,495 km2. The population of Karak Governorate is about 280.000, with about 112.000 people living within Karak Municipality district. The Greater Karak Municipality is the focal point of all development efforts of the city. It is responsible for many public services, including garbage collection and hygiene control for houses and public places. So far, waste collection and maintaining a clean environment remain a heavy burden for administrative and technical staff, as well as the municipal fleet of garbage vehicles, as 120 tons of waste collected daily should be transferred to the landfill site located 35 km from Karak.

The municipality is also under pressure due to limited financial resources and continuously growing service demand. The Syrian crisis has resulted in a large number of refugees fleeing to Jordan, and Karak Municipality in particular is currently hosting about 12.000 refugees, creating additional challenges for local authorities in developing comprehensive waste management projects.

To start solving the waste problem, many solutions have already been proposed. One of the most important ideas was establishing a recycling station for carton, paper and plastic. The initiative took place in September 2015 and was supported by the German Association for Adults Education, German Cooperation Council, Karak Municipality and Jordan Hashemite Fund for Human Development.

The recycling station project for carton, paper and plastic in Karak was implemented in a number of stages and, most importantly, in close cooperation with all actors involved in the process.

As the first step, an agreement was reached on establishing a project steering committee, comprised of representatives of all partner organizations. The committee held meetings to define a suitable work mechanism of the recycling station as well as discuss its legal, administrative and technical frameworks. Roles were defined for each partner according to their respective areas of expertise and authority.

The next steps were as following:

• Karak Municipality allocated a piece of land within the vocational zone, provided equipment and offices for the staff to implement the project. The municipality also set up a ventilation system and helped fulfill public safety requirements. Metal boxes were provided to collect carton from market places.
• To carry out the separation and recycling operations, Karak Municipality appointed four workers that also received relevant training.
• The German Association contributed to the project by providing equipment such as hanger, compactor for carton and plastic, as well as a forklift.
• The German Cooperation Council supported setting up a metal umbrella to protect recyclables and organized study visits to similar facilities for technical and administrative staff.
• Jordan Hashemite Fund for Human Development supported the project through awareness-raising campaigns in schools and in the local community, informing people about the necessity of waste sorting and recycling.

This project, however small it might seem, represents a success story for Karak Municipality and marks an important milestone in the city’s efforts to achieve sustainable development and apply an integrated approach to its waste management.

Among the major takeaways of the project, the following aspects are worth mentioning:

• Benefits of these initiatives should be inclusive and available to all stakeholders to ensure sustainability of the project;
• Encouragement of the private sector to participate in solid waste management is vital for effective elaboration of new economic opportunities and creation of additional economic value;
• Incentives and facilitation are important tools for encouraging those who contribute to waste reduction, recycling and composting;
• Awareness-raising and information campaigns, that showcase best practices in solid waste management and are carried out in both public and private media, are necessary elements in preparing the local community to new (alternative) forms of waste management.

Nevertheless, when it comes to future opportunities of the recycling station in Karak, its development must be examined in two directions:

First: Transformation towards quantitative production (more quantities means less costs) by providing a new compaction vehicle for carton and plastics, as well as involving nearby municipalities into supply of recyclables. This should create an operational power and improve economic feasibility of the recycling station.

Second: Qualitative development should take place (i.e. extending the station operation with new types of products) to ensure effective use of the already available infrastructure.