IRBID, JORDAN – July 22, 2024—The Greater Irbid Municipality launched the first phase of a Neighborhood Environmental Campaign titled “Yalla Nfariz” (Let’s Sort) in the Al-Rabieh neighbourhood. This outstanding initiative marks a significant step towards sustainable urban living in Jordan. At the heart of this campaign are dedicated local volunteers, carefully selected through an open call in cooperation with local associations.

The “Yalla Nfariz” campaign is a key component of the broader “Cleaner Energy Saving Multi-Use Public Building” project, operating under the “Climate for Cities (C4C)” program funded by the European Union and Irbid Municipality. The project is being implemented under the leadership of the Greater Irbid Municipality in collaboration with Yarmouk University and Future Pioneers Co.

Main Goals of the Project:

• Enhance environmental protection and mitigate the effects of climate change.
• Improve the quality of life by creating a sustainable development model for public facilities.

Current Activities:

A key focus of the campaign is raising environmental awareness about solid waste management, with a particular emphasis on the role of women in this process through the implementation of the Neighbourhood Environmental Initiative. The initiative plan is to reach approximately 1,000 homes in the Al-Rabieh area, educating citizens, especially housewives, about the importance of sorting waste into recyclable and non-recyclable materials.

Studies and experiments have shown that about 50% of the city’s waste is recyclable and can be reused instead of being discarded, thereby reducing the pressure on municipal services and landfills.

Recyclable waste will be sent to a sorting point at Emaar Irbid Park, specifically established for this initiative. The success of the initiative requires all possible efforts to generalise the experience to other areas.

Volunteer Activities:

When visiting homes, volunteers will provide an overview of the project and its activities, educating residents on the importance of waste sorting in protecting the environment and reducing the pressure on municipal services and landfills. They will empower women in their role of encouraging family members to sort waste and will guide residents on how and when to deliver sorted waste by type (cardboard, paper, aluminium, plastic) to the designated sorting point near Emaar Park, as well as the incentives that will be provided.

Watch the volunteer training photos with us and follow the news of this campaign, which will be updated daily.