Jordan’s solid waste management sector is currently undergoing modernisation. The legal framework and sector policy are laying the way towards a modern circular economy in solid waste management. However, the implementation of the aspirations is still in its infancy. Almost all of Jordan’s waste is landfilled. The solid waste management sector is the country’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases (GHGs), largely due to methane from the disorderly disposal of organic waste. Almost 40% of the Jordanian citizen (4.0 of 9.5 million) live in GAM. But here, as in other municipalities, exists a serious shortage of technical skills and qualification programmes. Initial attempts to implement a recycling system – separate collection as the basis for recovery and recycling – were largely unsuccessful, and positive case studies for a scaling-up are not available. GAM’s staff lack the practical expertise and resources to drive the modernisation of the solid waste management sector. Also, GAM lacks the conditions for the implementation of a climate friendly waste management and recycling (core problem).