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Last weekend, we participated in our last clean-up hike, which was co-organized by JONavigators and Sophie Gripenberg.
It took place in the scenic forest of Dibbeen, located 45km north of Amman. On this occasion, more than 30 highly motivated and inspiring volunteers joined forces.
Unfortunately, despite the forest's natural beauty, it didn't take long to realize that it was marred by an overwhelming amount of litter scattered around.
In just under two hours, we filled more than 120 bags with a staggering amount of litter waste. Below are some observations we made from the collected trash:
Between 80 % and 90% of the trash collected was single-use plastic.
The most frequently collected items were plastic bags, packaging, coffee cups, and plastic bottles.
The plastic waste found varied in degradation. Some recent pieces were practically intact and unaltered by the environment and weather conditions, while others were already breaking down into microplastics (less than 5mm).
The impressive amount of trash littered or simply left behind in Dibbeen forest is far from being an exception in Jordan. The forest, like a lot of other natural environments in the Kindogm, suffers from a combination of three main factors.
A lack of disposal infrastructures (trash bins & containers)
Inconsiderate behaviors and lack of care for natural environments
No signs or information displayed around frequented areas about littering consequences (pollution, fines, health hazards).
As mentioned during the event, clean-up hikes are not sustainable and long-lasting solutions to plastic overconsumption and pollution.
However, they remain distinctive opportunities to bring the question of waste disposal, littering, and pollution to the table while raising awareness among the public.
Thank you very much to JoNavigators’s team and Sophie Gripenberg for the time and efforts engaged in making this event happen.
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