Reduce Your FOODPrintOrganic waste management in hotels in the U.A.E.

By Karishma Asarpota

Contents

Introduction...............................................................................................................................................................................................1

Process.......................................................................................................................................................................................................2

Case Studies..............................................................................................................................................................................................3 1 - Al Qasr Al Madinat 2 - The Taste Initiative 3 - Banyan Tree Desert Resort

Comparative Analysis..............................................................................................................................................................................6

The Role of Waste Management Companies......................................................................................................................................8

Best Practices............................................................................................................................................................................................8

Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................................................................9

Acknowledgements...............................................................................................................................................................................10

About the Author....................................................................................................................................................................................10

Introduction

The project aims at reducing the production and impact of food waste in the hospitality sector in U.A.E. Understanding current patterns of waste management in hotels is key along with finding a financially self-propelling system of re-cycling bio-degradable waste generated in the hotel kitchens.

The process of managing food waste has been docu-mented and recorded for hotels that are currently taking an initiative. A comparative analysis of the case-studies as well as interacting with people involved has led to a better understanding of techniques, logistics and cost involved. The conclusions present the current status of recycling food waste in the hospitality sector in the U.A.E. and can be used as a tool to find solutions in the future.

Note: Project Research was conducted between December 2013 and July 2014.

What is compost?

The end product of recycling bio-degradable waste is com-post which is a natural high nutrient soil amendment. It is formed by the aerobic decomposition of organic materi-als by micro-organisms under controlled conditions. During composting, microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi break down complex organic compounds into simpler sub-stances and produce carbon dioxide, water, minerals and stabilized organic matter (compost). The process produces heat, which can destroy pathogens (disease-causing micro-organisms) and weed seeds. Compost can be used to en-hance crop growth, enrich topsoil, increase soil water reten-tion and others.

In hotels and nurseries it can be used in landscaping as a natural fertilizer. It is highly nutritious for the soil and plants. Furthermore if the quality is monitored it can also be sold if under-utilized on site.

There are a number of techniques that can be used to make compost. Depending on the time, cost, space, amount and type of green waste the approach used varies.

Why do we need to recycle green waste?

The United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) has one of the highest per capita waste in the world. A 2010 study by Centre of Waste Management – Abu Dhabi estimated that the emirate pro-duces between 1.8 – 2.4 kg of waste per person per day. If that rate continues, the Government would be spending $6billion on waste management a year by 2030. Needless to say that food scraps are a significant part of this waste, particularly from hotels and restaurants.

Hotels are the highest consumers of food and as a result generate large amount of waste that costs to be moved to the landfill. Adopting practices to recycle on site can have a positive impact on the environment as well the maintenance budget for hotels.

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Process

Background Study

Case Studies at Hotels

Waste Management Comapnies

Comparative Analysis

Conclusion

Understanding the factors related to the process of recycling food waste. Looking at the impact of introducing recycling of food waste at a large scale.

Documenting the recycling process at hotels and farms around the country to understand the challenges associated at the ground level. Places visited: The Taste Initiative, Al Qasr Al Madinat, Banyan Tree Resort, Al Barari Farm.

Interviews with Waste Management Companies to understand their perspective. Companies contacted: Union Paper Mills, Bee’ah, Farnek.

Analysis to compare relatable factors associated with the composting process.

Discusses the role of waste management companies and high-lights best practices for the future.

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Case Study 1

Al Qasr, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai Waste from kitchen

Kitchen Scraps(Fruit and Vegetable scaps)

Left - over food waste

Bokashi Bins

Composting pits

Compost

Amount of waste per day 70 Kg Total number of Bokashi bins 30No. of bins filled daily 3Capacity of each bin 120 litersNo. of days to rest in the bin 10No. of composting pits 3Size of the pits0.9m x 10m divided into 3 sectionsDepth0.5m - 0.7mNo. of days to fill one section 7No. of weeks to convert to compost 9

1-Bokashi Bin with food scraps2- Stand to extract Bokashi juice from bins (used to water plants)3- Indoor temperature controlled room with 30 Bokashi bins4 - Outdoor Composting pits

1 2

3

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Initiative Bokashi Bins and Composting PitsStarted in August, 2011Recorded in October 2013

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Case Study 2

The Taste Initiative, The Change Initiative, Dubai,

Waste from kitchen

Kitchen Scraps

Left - over food waste

Bokashi Bins

Soil Amendment

Used for landscaping on site

No. of customers served per day 80 persons daily (8am - 6pm)Capacity of Bokashi bins 120 LNo. of bins filled per month 4Size of the dewatering machine 3.9m x 2.2mHeight2.45m

Dewatering System

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Initiative Dewatering System and Bokashi BinsStarted in October, 2012Recorded in October 2013

Dewateringsystem

Distributed tostaff

The kitchen at The Taste Initiative4

Case Study 3

The Banyan Tree Desert Resort, Ras Al Khaimah

Waste from kitchen

Kitchen Scraps Left - over food waste

GAIA Machine

Soil Amendment

Mixed with soil before using for landscap-ing

GAIA MachineAverage amount of waste per day50 Kg Cycle duration8 - 10 hours% of dry matter discharged22Filter replacement required annually

1-GAIA Machine2- Soil amendment3- Soil amendment mixed with soil4 - Organic vegetable garden

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4

Initiative Composting machine Started in Two trials - 15 days in 2013 and 30 days in February 2014Recorded in February 2014

Oklin Composting

Machine

Stage 1 Compost

Used as fertilizer for landscaping

Oklin Composting MachineAverage amount of waste per day80 Kg Cycle durationContinuous cycle% of dry matter discharged16Filter replacement not required

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2

1

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HOSP

ITALI

TY S

ECTO

RFA

RM

Al Qasr Al Madinat,Dubai

The Banyan Tree Desert Resort, Ras Al Khaimah

Greenworks Nursery, Al Barari, Dubai

The Taste Initiative,Dubai

Technique Adopted What do you recycle? Is there a limit and why?

Bokashi bins and Composting pits

Vegetable and fruit scraps

Other food waste at-tracts rodents once in the composting pits. Vegetable and fruit scraps are the bulk of kitchen waste

Dewatering system and Bokashi bins All food waste N/A

Composting machine

All food waste ex-cept for bones and shell fish

Bones and shell fish need to be ground before composting

Machine to grind waste and compost-ing pits for decom-position

Tree trimmings, barks, leaves, cardboard

Food waste cannot be included since it attracts rodents

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Comparative Analysis Chart

Amount of food waste Cost of set-up / Savings Is the compost sold? Why? Pro’s Con’s

70 kgs per day No, it is utilized on site.

More cost effective than investing in a composting ma-chine

Takes up more space than a composting machine. Limitations on the kind of food that can be recy-cled (cooked food attracts rodents).

4 Bokashi bins in a month

Projected to break even in 2-3 years No, lack of buyers

Food is compressed to a much smaller volume with the dewatering system before composting

Excess of compost is generated which cannot be sold

Cost of machineGAIA = AED 155,000Oklin = AED 180,000

No, it is utilized on siteMost food waste can be recycled quickly and efficiently

Additional grinders need to purchased for food waste that contains bones or shell fish

Grinder costs AED 500,000. Broke even in 2 years

No, because of qual-ity control

Sufficient compost is generated and used in landscaping

Excess compost can-not be sold. Food waste cannot be added to the pits.

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The role of Waste Management Companies

The role of most waste management companies currently in U.A.E does not extend to the collection of food waste for recycling. Often, materials like paper, plastic, glass and aluminum are dealt by waste management companies and recycling initiatives.

This can be attributed to the challenging logistics involved in picking up the waste, recycling it and utilizing the end product. Collected food waste will have to be picked up frequently as it cannot be stored very easily for a long time. Biodegradable waste can be recycled at a large scale in an anaerobic digestion plant and the compost generated can be sold in the agricultural market. A facility with this capabil-ity has not yet been built in the U.A.E.

However, there are initiatives by Bee’ah and Tadweer to build these plants. As per an interview with Bee’ah the food recycling facility should be completed in the latter half of 2015 after which there will be a testing period before the plant can be up and running.

Currently, Union Paper Mills, whose primary focus is recycling paper waste, supplies composting machines to hotels. Although they are not involved in the cycle after the initial set-up, it has helped to make this easily available in the market in U.A.E.

Best Practices

There are two ways hotels can choose to recycle organic waste – the first is to outsource it to waste management companies and the second is to recycle waste within the hotel premises.

Recycling food waste by choosing the former option can be more beneficial for hotels considering logistical and economic factors. However, as mentioned previously, in the U.A.E. such a facility does not exist as yet. Hotels have to ex-plore options to recycle waste within their premises. Depend-ing on the space and budget available, hotels can chose how to recycle their food waste and utilize the end product. The most common practice adopted by hotels that do recylcle food waste is using a composting machine. If the hotels have large outdoor spaces on their premises the out-put from the machine can be converted to compost on site and utilized for landscaping. This is the most efficient solution available to hotels currently. From an environmental per-spective this is the most ideal method as waste is converted into a beneficial end-product at the same location that it is produced. In the long run, this will benefit hotels economi-cally as well. On an average, it is estimated that a compost-ing machine pays for itself within 3-4 years. The cost of man-power required to ensure the smooth running of the cycle is negligible when compared to the value it can add overall.

However, for hotels with minimum landscaping and outdoor space, maintaining a composting machine is not feasible. The Pullman Hotel in Dubai conducted a trial with a com-posting machine and recorded their outcomes. The ineffi-ciency of the process made them decide against adopting food waste recyling as a permanent solution.

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Conclusion

Most hotels send all their waste directly to the landfills with-out separating recyclables. With inexpensive cost of sending waste to the landfill and no law to ensure recycling, hotels lack the motivation to separate and recycle their waste.

For hotels that do decide to partner with waste manage-ment companies that provide recycling services, it is usu-ally limited to wastes such as paper, plastic, cans and glass. Therefore, the initiative to recycle food waste requires more effort in addition to the current practice of separating waste to be picked up. Investment into the initial equipment and man power as well as a lack of enforced regulation to recy-cle food waste, does not allow this practice to grow.

The cost of converting food waste into compost can be re-duced by recycling bio-degradable waste on a large scale. In addition to that, enforcing strict regulations can lead to a rise of recycling food waste among hotels. With initiatives from large companies such as Tadweer and Bee’ah, there is a potential to change the current scenario.

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Initiate conscious efforts to reduce food waste

Educate users about responsible con-sumption

Segregate waste and recycle all types of waste

Increase the cost of accepting waste to landfills

Enforce strict laws to recycle ALL types of waste

Raise awareness amongst residents for conscious consumption to produce less waste

Develop solutions to help recycle waste in the hospitality sector

Encourage hotels to separate organic waste

Collaborate with authorities to develop efficient solutions to recycle food waste at a large scale

Hotels with largepremises

Hotels with small/medium size

premises

Recycle food wasteon site

Separate food wasteand outsource for

recycling

End product to be used on site as

fertilizer for landscaping

End product tobe sold to farm

What should hotels do? What should the authorities do? What should waste management companies do?

Current Practice

Acknowledgements

I sincerely thank the following organizations for their time and cooperation. The insights gained through interviews is a highly valuable addition to the report.

Bee’ahUnion Paper MillsFarnekAl Qasr Al Madinat HotelBokashi The Change InitiativeThe Banyan Tree Desert ResortGreenworks NurseryThe Pullman Hotel

About the Author

Karishma Asarpota is currently working as an Urban Planner with Ras Al Khaimah Municipality. Born and brought up in Dubai, she considers herself to be a global citizen. Qualified as an architect, her passion lies in raising awareness about sustainable solutions and environmental consciousness. She is the co-author of a blog called ‘The Tryptic Note’ that fo-cuses on environmental and social sustainability in architec-ture in the UAE. URL: www.thetrypticnote.com

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