New law stiffens penalties for littering

AMMAN — The Environment Ministry’s “With Determination, We Protect Our Environment” campaign kicked off on Tuesday, aiming to crackdown on the “random dumping of waste”. 

The Ministry of Environment, in conjunction with the campaign’s launch, announced the start of its implementation of the Waste Management Framework Law Number 16 of 2020. The law targets public places, parks, forests, religious and tourist sites, city centres and main roads across the Kingdom.

The campaign, organised in cooperation with public institutions and civil society organisations, “emphasises the importance of maintaining and upgrading the national environment”, said a ministry statement sent to The Jordan Times.

In the statement, the Environment Ministry’s spokesperson Ahmad Obeidat said that “the staff of the Royal Department for Environment and Tourism will apprehend violators of the law, then transfer their cases to the judiciary”.

Obeidat, also the campaign’s general coordinator, added that according to the Waste Management Framework Law, penalties start from JD50 to reach JD1,000 and imprisonment of no less than a week. The penalty is doubled in the case of repeat violation. 

 Obeidat added that the fine is no less than JD50 and no more than JD500 for each person that disposes of waste improperly, whether by littering, throwing dirty water or effluent, or other forms of random waste dumping.

 Fawzi Mahmoud, a Jordanian teacher, told The Jordan Times that he believes that this law is much needed. “I like the idea that the fine doubles for repeat offence,” he added. 

Maha Abed, a university student said: “Throwing waste is an insult for all people living in the same country. It is 

disrespectful to our country.”