Throughout the world, organic waste generation is posing serious challenges, threatening food security and water purity and availability. Saudi Arabia is no exception.
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-By Ruba Obaid, Arab News
Throughout the world, organic waste generation is posing serious challenges, threatening food security and water purity and availability. Saudi Arabia is no exception.
Rapid population growth and urbanization in the MENA region are generating large amounts of organic waste, resulting in environmental pollution, declining urban aesthetic, and rising greenhouse emissions. These conditions are also compromising human health.
If the present circumstances persist, the total waste generated in the MENA region is expected to approximately double by 2050.
Advanced organic waste disposal management services are quickly becoming indispensable. The Edama Organic Solutions Startup based at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal is an example of one such innovative composting service provider in the region.
The startup was found in 2017 with the goal of turning 65 percent of the total municipal solid waste in Saudi Arabia — which mainly consists of organic waste that usually ends up in landfills — into a precious resource.
“We transform organic waste such as food and vegetation from landscaping or farming into rich soil that improves desert agriculture, helping to increase yields and reduce water consumption,” Dr. Sabrina Vettori, CEO at Edama, told Arab News.
The Edama team work to face multiple challenges at a time, including waste disposal hazards, food security, and water scarcity by adopting a circular economic approach.
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