Toronto, Canada
Image by 350.org
A young resident of Toronto, Canada, tries out a game where she
learns how to sort goods into recycling, compost, and garbage bins.
The game was part of a neighbourhood gathering in Phin Park in
Toronto, Canada, called a "freecycle" work party. People dropped off
things they no longer needed, and others picked up things they could
use for free – a contribution to reducing waste and carbon emissions
in the lifecycle of the many goods we consume.
Waste Management in Jordan: Any Lessons for Moving Ahead?
Waste Management in Jordan: Any Lessons for Moving Ahead?
Free Online Articles Directory
Why Submit Articles?
Top Authors
Top Articles
FAQ
AB Answers
Publish Article
0 && $.browser.msie ) {
var ie_version = parseInt($.browser.version);
if(ie_version Hello Guest
Login
Login via
Register
Hello
My Home
Sign Out
Email
Password
Remember me?
Lost Password?
Home Page > News and Society > Environment > Waste Management in Jordan: Any Lessons for Moving Ahead?
Waste Management in Jordan: Any Lessons for Moving Ahead?
Edit Article |
Posted: Dec 07, 2008 |Comments: 0
| Views: 347
|
Share
]]>
Syndicate this Article
Copy to clipboard
Waste Management in Jordan: Any Lessons for Moving Ahead?
By: Yvonne Nana Afua Idun
About the Author
YVONNE NANA AFUA IDUN
Profile
Doctor of Philosophy in Law of International Trade and International Environmental Law; Master of Laws in Law of International Trade; Bachelor of Arts in Law and French; Areas of Expertise: Environment, Trade and Gender.
(ArticlesBase SC #673992)
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Waste Management in Jordan: Any Lessons for Moving Ahead?
When countries adopted the Basel Convention on Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Waste in 1989, Jordan ratified this Convention and was a party to it. Consequently, this country has an obligation to enact relevant municipal legislation which conforms to the ideals of Basel, as required by this treaty. Amongst the requirements of Basel are that member states need to ensure that any waste which they produce is recycled or disposed of in an environmentally sound manner. Jordan first enacted its Hazardous Waste No. 12 in 1995 and substituted it with Law No. 1 in 2003. Despite this and other initiatives such as the many important programmes of the Basel Convention’s Arab Centre which covers Jordan, waste continues to be stockpiled in many parts of Jordan as a result of careless dumping and persistent littering in some communities. This causes adverse effects such as pollution, environmental destruction and diseases in human beings. Factors responsible for such littering include inadequate penalties for littering, insufficient public enlightenment, inadequate educational curricula in primary and high schools as well as universities and low capacity. This suggests that the Jordanian law needs to be implemented more strictly by enforcing penalties regarding offenders and granting incentives to community groups, agencies, companies and individuals who promote best practices. This could serve as a tool to encourage people and increase compliance with the law.
Indeed, hazardous waste does not only suggest scenarios where it is transported on a ship and dumped from one country to another. On the contrary, hazardous waste affects the existence of the daily life of every individual. When used batteries from torches, radios and other electrical equipment are placed at dump sites where scavengers and children can freely open them up, it must be borne in mind that these batteries contain deadly chemicals such as cadmium. Such a chemical inflicts perils on the respiratory organs of human beings and cause other diseases as well as atmospheric pollution and pollution to rivers. In some communities including Jordan’s Zarqa and Mafraq, overcrowding of industries causes emission of gases from these industries to rivers and underground water. The incidents of mass poisoning, amongst large sectors of the populace which occurred in Mafraq in 2007, resulted from gaseous emissions of factory waste from neighbouring towns.
Fluorescent tubes, clinical themometres and certain forms of medical waste are said to contain some amount of mercury which affects the nerves and can cause physical paralysis, psychological disorders and other forms of sickness in human beings. Hence, the manner in which they are disposed of, after being used, is one which requires caution in Jordan. Based on these which are just a few examples of the instances where hazardous wastes and chemicals are present, hazardous/toxic waste is obviously an inevitable part of every human activity which needs to be carefully disposed of in every community.
When companies such as the Jordan Petroleum Refinery imports crude oil for recycling and refining for sale, the crude oil is processed with some amount of toxic chemicals which are managed very carefully lest they cause a negligent spill and cause hazardous perils. JUST University disposes of some medical waste from certain hospitals in Jordan and UNDP-Jordan has some projects on recycling waste to energy and biogas. These three agencies are all success stories in this regard.
In light of such commendable initiatives, should Jordan’s national law specify some guidelines for all stakeholders, to facilitate waste recycling in as many forms of waste as possible, even for the benefit of its rural communities? In addition to protecting the environment, this approach could generate income for the poor, as unemployment is rife in many communities in this country. Furthermore, these recommended amendments to legislation could also provide a definition of what amounts to toxic waste, with relevant explanatory memoranda where necessary, and the exact effects of each type of waste on human health and the ecology, based on empirical scientific evidence. Compliance and liability at municipal level then become easy to deal with.
The national law of this country should also conform to Jordan’s obligations under the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals in International Trade (1998) and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (2001). These two treaties, in addition to Basel, regulate wastes which also include chemicals and pesticides, all of which are used in Jordan. In addition to sending officials from ministries and customs officers for the green training programmes of such treaties, the government of Jordan needs to train other affected members of the society such as farmers on the objectives of these treaties, as ideally reflected in a national law. This could be done in co-operation with other stakeholders and with the guidance of specially designed training manuals. Many farmers, particularly those in parts of the Jordan Valley and certain parts of this region’s rural communities, owing to reasons of insufficient levels of awareness, continue to use obsolete pesticides and chemicals during their farming practices. These farmers do not also know how to dispose of their agricultural waste. The long-term effects become damaging to their health. Farmers could then benefit from receiving training on the requirements of a national law, in Arabic which they can easily grasp and comprehend, with the provision of alternative and more suitable chemicals which they need to use.
As such, it is imperative that Jordan makes certain amendments to its national law and enforce it in a manner so as to conform to its requirements under the Basel, Stockholm and Rotterdam Conventions. With the occurrence of pressing toxic waste issues on a daily basis, these are some of the lessons and recommendations which this country could adopt to suit its circumstances, as it strives to attain the goals of sustainable development.
Retrieved from “http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/waste-management-in-jordan-any-lessons-for-moving-ahead-673992.html”
(ArticlesBase SC #673992)
Yvonne Nana Afua Idun –
About the Author:
YVONNE NANA AFUA IDUN
Profile
Doctor of Philosophy in Law of International Trade and International Environmental Law; Master of Laws in Law of International Trade; Bachelor of Arts in Law and French; Areas of Expertise: Environment, Trade and Gender.
]]>
Rate this Article
1
2
3
4
5
vote(s)
0 vote(s)
Feedback
RSS
Print
Email
Re-Publish
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/waste-management-in-jordan-any-lessons-for-moving-ahead-673992.html
Article Tags:
waste management, national laws, basel convention
Related Videos
Related Articles
Latest Environment Articles
More from Yvonne Nana Afua Idun
