Mindset change key to overcome waste management problem — environmentalists

AMMAN — Changing the mindset of younger children and replacing the habit of excessive consumption to reduce, reuse and recycle are vital in overcoming the waste management problem in Jordan, activists suggest.

“Recycling is not the solution, reducing consumption is the key to saving the environment,” Raeda Sabhi, an environmentalist and founder of a recycling initiative, told The Jordan Times on Wednesday.

Sabhi said that many spend “huge amounts of money and rarely purchase products” with the understanding of where they come from or where they will go after they have finished with them. 

“Recycling has long been projected as the solution to our waste management problem. However, after so many years of recycling, we still suffer from the same problems with our environment and most importantly our health conditions,” Sabhi said. 

“Recycling gives us the illusion that we are not wasteful,” Sabhi added. 

Amal Mdanat, another environmentalist, called for a shift in consumer patterns.

“We need to reduce what we use and explore different methods for reusing the materials we consume in our everyday lives,” Mdanat told The Jordan Times. 

She added that moving towards a zero-waste lifestyle can seem hard in the beginning, however, taking small steps to reduce consumption is easy if implemented slowly. 

Mdanat added that a realistic way to begin is simply to stop purchasing single use items like water bottles, paper towels, plastic bags and aluminum foil. 

“There is a growing movement of people who practice zero-waste living,” Sabhi added.

Mdanat stated that rather than consuming, disposing of and recycling waste, zero-waste living promotes a lifestyle where the end goal is a complete reduction in waste.

“Waste management problem can be solved through accumulated effort,” Sabhi added.

Mdanat added that that the increasing number of cancer cases, lung diseases as well as skin problems is attributed to the toxins the population encounters on daily basis. 

“Microplastics have been found in human beings’ lungs and it’s scary!” she said.  

Both environmentalists agreed that education is key to solving waste issue in the Kingdom. 

“You can mold children into a zero-waste generation,” said Sabhi.