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