Data-driven approach to waste management in Amman

Data-driven approach to waste management in Amman

Between 2004 and 2015, Amman’s population more than doubled from approximately 2 to over 4 million, thus putting pressure on outdated urban infrastructure and overburdened public services. Driven largely by the Syrian refugee crisis, Amman has also absorbed 1 million new residents over the past three years. Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) is directly responsible for delivering a number of services to this growing and evolving population, from waste management to road maintenance to licensure.

One of the biggest challenges such cities face is effectively managing solid waste in light of this kind of rapid growth. In the case of Amman, improving solid waste management presented a unique challenge due to its particular spatial limitations, as well as infrastructure, human and financial resource constraints. Poor solid waste management at every stage—from street sweeping, household pickup, to disposal in landfills can undermine citizen confidence in government and has the potential to disrupt economic growth. In some cases, the inability to deliver basic waste services can trigger economic or political instability, as seen recently in Beirut, Lebanon. Many cities are facing similar challenges.

The next three decades will see a rapid change in urban demographics with the emergence of “megacities” and the rise of secondary cities, which are facing even greater challenges with population growth, combined with poor infrastructure, lack of investment and insufficient capacity. The United Nations (UN) estimates that 66 percent of the world population will live in urban areas by 2050. How Amman is using a Smart City approach to address this problem can be a guide for other urban centers struggling with booming populations.

Amman produces nearly 900,000 tons of solid waste annually. The GAM manages this service for residents throughout its entire lifecycle across 22 administrative districts. Prior to implementing its Smart City solution, waste management operations were inefficient, with trucks not completely filled while others skipped stops due to volume limits. There was also little direct oversight of service provision, and GAM lacked a rigorous system for using data to identify problem areas in delivery and adjust with varying demand.

To tackle this challenge, the Mayor’s office launched a pilot program called CityPerform in 2015, which drew inspiration from Baltimore’s municipal management innovation, CitiStat.

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