A man in a hard hat standing next to a large wall of recycled materials and speaking on a cell phone.

Transforming Jordan’s Recycling Industry .

Economic Growth and Trade | Public Private Partnerships and Investment | Environment and Natural Resources | Water and Sustainable Cities
Middle East and North Africa

Recycling in Jordan Activity

Project Dates: August 2020 - August 2025
Waste recycling services in Jordan constitute a viable commercial opportunity for Jordan’s private and public sectors to increase the competitiveness of recycling and invigorate the circular economy.

Every day, Jordan’s Al Ghabawi landfill receives 3,200 tons of Amman’s waste. According to Greater Amman Municipality estimates, the commercial center generates at least 40 percent of this waste. Amman’s waste generation is climbing by more than 5 percent per year, and optimistic estimates peg Amman’s recycling rate at 7 percent, well below other cities in the region. As waste generators continue to choose land filling, manufacturers continue to choose virgin materials due to their low cost and convenience compared to current recycling offerings.

USAID’s Recycling in Jordan Activity uses a market systems approach to increase commercial sector utilization of recycling services in Amman. The project works closely with private recycling firms, the commercial sector, the Ministry of Environment, and the Greater Amman Municipality to increase recycling competitiveness by strengthening market linkages and improving the enabling environment. The project will incubate and expand business opportunities for 200 recycling companies while working alongside the local government to enable and incentivize more than 2,500 commercial waste generators to use recycling services.

By transforming a largely informal network of recycling services into a competitive recycling industry, the project contributes to Amman’s sustainable solid waste management.

Project Goals


  • Expand and improve the private sector recycling market
  • Increase demand for and use of recycling services in Amman’s commercial sector
  • Improve the business enabling environment for recycling services and materials markets