Dubai: More efforts are needed to reduce a growing waste stream comprising discarded food and construction materials throughout the UAE, experts at a recent Green Building Council gathering in Dubai said.
Panellists speaking at the meeting, co-hosted by Middle East Facility Management Association (MEFMA), said too much food is going to landfills, some of which are nearing capacity.
Moderated by Habiba Al Marashi, Emirates GBC co-founder and chairperson of Emirates Environmental Group, the event focused on exploring solutions to stem daily streams of material that could be recycled or discarded through alternative methods.
Victoria Bond, head of integrated waste management, WSP I Parsons Brinckerhoff, said mitigating wasted food is difficult given a lack of data to gauge the full extent of the problem.
“Despite the obvious food wastage, there is a lack of data indicating the extent to which food is wasted in the UAE. On a more general note, the UNFAO has predicted that globally, 33 per cent of food generated is lost or wasted.”
Mohammad Karam, business development manager, Middle East & North Africa, InSinkerator, said food waste is clearly a dilemma.
“It is estimated that the annual food waste in the UAE is approximately 3.2 million tonnes. To better understand the weight of this escalating concern, some researches have acknowledged that between 30-40 per cent of our domestic waste is food and during the whole month of Ramadan, it increases to 55 per cent,” Karam said. “Not only does the wastage of food amplify the number of existing piles of waste in landfills, but it also generates high cost to segregate as well as eliminate such a mass of waste.”
Panelists agreed that stakeholders and government can work to find solutions through additional legislation and regulations but ultimately, reducing the amount of leftover food thrown into garbage bins at the end of the day rests with individuals.
“Before involving the government and architects, it is essential to begin at the level of a single individual,” Karam said. “Education and awareness are crucial to tackle the issue.”
One major issue in slashing the food waste stream from landfills, the gathering heard, is the amount of energy and water required to eliminate food waste.
“The wastage of a single apple is 70 litres of water, which is the amount of water required to grow it,” Karam stated.
A second panel also explored reducing the discarding of construction materials in precious, shrinking landfill capacity.
Nihal Karagoz, head of environment and sustainability, Al Fara’a Group, said, “A minimum of 15-20 per cent of the total waste generated in the lifetime of a construction project can be diverted from landfill only by recycling concrete waste.”
