BAHRAIN will have to spend more than BD140 million to tackle its estimated 230,000 tonnes of food waste reported last year, an expert has claimed.

Arabian Gulf University environmental management assistant professor Dr Sumaya Yusuf indicated that the country spends BD650 on every tonne of food discarded annually.

Prof Dr Yusuf

“The Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry has estimated that 230,000 tonnes of waste made its way into the country’s landfills last year, which will cost Bahrain more than BD140m,” Prof Dr Yusuf pointed out.

The United Nations Environment Programme’s Food Waste Index had revealed that people in Bahrain threw away 146,000 tonnes of food in 2020, costing Bahrain BD94.9m.

While the quantity of waste increased by more than 60pc last year, Dr Yusuf was optimistic that a series of national awareness campaigns launched recently would lead to a gradual slide in the quantity of domestic waste over the next decade.

“We have launched an array of engaging and responsive national awareness initiatives including food donation drives and food banks,” Prof Dr Yusuf, a senior researcher who conducts periodic studies into food waste in Bahrain, said.

“People are becoming more aware and wiser in their purchasing and consumption habits, which will definitely assist the country in reducing food waste. I am optimistic that we are on the right track,” she said.

The GDN reported in January last year that a new landfill and a hi-tech waste-to-energy complex are among 180 initiatives being studied by the government as part of a futuristic plan to tackle waste.

Bahrain has initiated 29 ‘rapid action’ plans, 90 short-term projects, 27 medium-term policies and 34 long-term strategies to manage waste.

Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Minister Essam Khalaf said each phase would result in lesser waste being dumped in Hafeera landfill – which now stretches to 2.83km.

Mr Al Kuwaity

Bahrain Food Bank (BFB) managing director Ahmed Al Kuwaity said large family gatherings during the holy month added to the food wastage in Bahrain.

“Through our work, we notice that the percentage of food waste during the holy month has almost doubled due to the large number of family gatherings and special occasions for Ramadan breakfasts and ghabgas,” Mr Al Kuwaity told the GDN.

“We urge the Bahraini society, institutions and individuals to support us in achieving our goals in reducing wastage.”

BFB, which aims to reduce waste through several awareness campaigns follows two main aims of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – eradication of hunger and changing consumption and recycling patterns.

“Throughout the year we work to collect surplus edible food from hotels, restaurants, special events, supermarkets and hypermarkets in addition to food companies, and then distribute it to families and workers,” said Mr Al Kuwaity.

“We also organise food baskets, meals and iftar for the needy through charitable community kitchens, to cook meals and pack them, with the help of volunteers to distribute it.”

Mr Mousa

Active Leaders for Women Advancement in the Near East (Alwane) Bahrain environment committee head Khaled Mousa also urged citizens and residents to be wary of wastage and said showering guests with enormous quantities of food during Ramadan was unjustified.

“Ramadan is a month of compassion for the needy and poor and fasting time should be used to lose weight, rest the stomach, and regulate diabetes and cholesterol levels, among other things,” he said.

“There is no excuse for increased eating during Ramadan, and generosity does not imply showering guests with enormous quantities of food; this is unjustifiable waste.”

Food waste in Bahrain is transported to the Hafeera landfill in Askar where it is compacted and covered with sand to avoid vermin and insect infestations.

Mr Khalaf had indicated that Bahrain may set up a green-waste recycling plant by 2040, while getting 52pc of all general waste recycled.

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