A company in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) named Reloop is collecting food waste from hotel kitchens in Dubai and turning it into fertilizer.
Founded in 2021, Reloop specializes in helping industries in the UAE manage food waste instead of sending it to landfills.
“We have removed over one million kilograms of food waste from landfills, which is equivalent to more than 1,200,000 kg of carbon emissions,” said Youssef Chehade, co-founder of Reloop.
Food waste is a pressing global issue. (Photo: dailynews.com).
According to Chehade, over 100 hotels and restaurants are currently collaborating to transfer food waste to Reloop.
After collection and sorting, the food waste is sent to Tadweer Waste Treatment LLC – a government-certified corporation. Tadweer owns a fertilizer production facility where the food waste is mixed with plant waste and screened.
It then takes 12 weeks for this mixture to complete the natural composting process, resulting in “black gold.”
The final step is to deliver the finished fertilizer bags to farms across the UAE, where farmers use them to enhance soil fertility.
Chehade explained: “If we look at agriculture, one of the main challenges is land, and 90% of soil and fertilizers in the UAE are imported from abroad. While here we can produce organic fertilizers and nutrient-rich soil from food waste. Food waste is very nutrient-dense and can truly improve the soil structure we have. As you know, we live in a sandy desert, and we can turn it into a nutrient-rich environment for agriculture, helping the sector while also protecting and improving food security for the country.”
Hamad Khalfan al-Mutawa, a local farmer in the Hatta region of Dubai, stated: “One of the most important components in the food system is the presence of natural organic fertilizers.”
In 2023, the UAE announced an action plan aimed at reducing food waste and domestic waste by 50% by 2030 through the establishment of new social standards, scaling up best practices, and facilitating policies.
