Introduction – Food Waste in the UAE

Food waste is a growing problem in the United Arab Emirates. According to the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, this form of waste alone costs the Kingdom nearly $3.5 billion annually. 

Whether it's vegetable scraps discarded during meal preparation in households, leftovers in restaurants, or expired food items in supermarkets, food waste is taking a significant toll on food security and the environment. Fortunately, the UAE government and many businesses are stepping up to spread awareness and take measures to minimize the practice. 

Therefore, in this post, we’ll talk about some of the food waste recycling services in the UAE offering unique solutions to minimize wastage and improve food waste management. 

The Top Food Waste Recycling and Management Services in UAE
The following are our top picks of the most popular food waste management and recycling services in the UAE:

1.      Mil-Tek

Mil-Tek is a waste solutions provider specializing in waste management for the UAE’s food manufacturing industry. It offers customized waste handling and recycling solutions for food production facilities to help them save time, space, and expenditure. It also offers several products designed to improve waste logistics and distribution, including the Mil-Tek General Waste Compactor.

Many food production sites, including restaurants, hospitals, factories, and commercial kitchens, use it to reduce waste volume by up to 90%. 

2.      Averda

Averda is a post-consumer food waste management service specializing in diverting food waste from landfills and tackling it right at the source using smart technologies. It provides aerobic and compost solutions and general waste recycling services for municipal and community-scale clients in UAE, such as restaurants, supermarkets, and hotels.

3.      Nanjgel Green

Nanjgel Green is a general waste recycling service that provides eco-friendly automated machines for managing food, horticulture, paper, plastic, and poultry waste. Its powerful composter processes all kitchen or food production waste (farm/factory), including bones, peels, eggshells, vegetables, fruits, meat, bread, etc., and converts it into organic manure. 

Nanjgel Green also offers many services for UAE clients, including waste collection, removal, and recycling. It works with businesses to create winning waste minimization plans and provide education to staff along with relevant materials (posters, newsletters, instructions, etc.).

4.      Ehfaaz

Ehfaaz is an ISO, ITC, Dubai Municipality, and Dubai Development Authority-certified waste recycling company based in Dubai. It offers several food waste recycling services in the UAE, including organic food composting, food packaging destruction and recycling, and food upcycling, to name a few. 

The service mainly caters to residents and consumers in the UAE and helps them reduce waste fines. 

5.      Emvees Waste Water Treatment LLC

As the name suggests, Emvees Waste Water Treatment specializes in industrial and greywater treatment. However, it started offering organic solid waste management solutions recently following the rise of UAE’s population and solid waste from hotels, restaurants, industries, and homes. 

The company introduced a state-of-the-art Bio Thermic Digester into the UAE market designed to reduce food waste by nearly 80%. The product is mostly used by large-scale food waste producers, including factories and farms in the Kingdom. 

6.      BonApp

BonApp is an innovative app-based service designed for restaurants, hotels, and other food providers in the UAE to help reduce their food waste. It allows them to sell excess food at discounted prices. The app provides real-time information related to food availability, prices, and locations. 

Since its launch, the service has helped save over 100,000 meals or 30 tons of food from ending up in landfills. Moreover, it has also helped thousands of low-income consumers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi find affordable meals. 

7.      EroeGo

EroeGo is the UAE’s first app designed specifically to combat food waste and climate change simultaneously. The app-based service provides UAE residents with an online grocery platform where they can find fresh fruits, vegetables, and other groceries along with packaged/processed goods that are set to expire at discounted prices. 

Since its launch, it has helped thousands of consumers buy food at a more affordable cost and helped food businesses go greener with improved supply chains, optimized product shelf life, and reduced waste. 

8.      FoodKarma

Finally, FoodKarma is another app-based service partnered with dozens of restaurants and cafes across Dubai. The solution caters to eco-conscious food enthusiasts and low-income consumers looking to buy food at lower prices. Moreover, the solution they offer eateries is waste minimization by marketing their surplus food to interested buyers. 

This effort helps them reduce operational costs and make more money than from surplus food, while FoodKarma earns a small commission for its efforts. 

Conclusion

Food waste recycling is gradually becoming a popular niche for businesses and entrepreneurs in the UAE. It has an unsaturated market and a rapidly growing target audience, meaning there are plenty of opportunities to explore. 

The companies in our list are among the top solution providers in this space. Each of them offers a unique solution to the growing problem. Hence, you can opt for more than one food waste recycling service.

And for your food containers or other recyclables RECAPP can help you to dispose of it safely and adequately for a sustainable future for the UAE by providing relevant services. You can start now by downloading the app and recycle at home but also at your office with the RECAPP  Business solution.