ENGL-210

Dr.Naqaa Abbas
Group 2: Shaan Patson, Amna Al-Zeyara, Noor Al-Hamdaney, Nahin Kabir
Technical Report - First Draft
25/4/2024

Food Waste in Qatar

Abstract
A country is considered to be food secure when all its individuals have social, physical, and
economic access to safe, sufficient, and nutritious food that is also in line with food preferences
and dietary needs (FAO, 2006). Food waste is a global problem that has affected all three pillars
of sustainable development, i.e., economic, environmental, and social (Aktas, et al., 2018). Food
loss means a decrease in quality or the quality of food, whereas food waste is the removal of
food from the food chain due to reasons such as expiry, poor stock management, economic
behavior, or neglect. It is the biggest threat to food security, limiting the ecological capacity of
Qatar’s land to produce renewable energy resources (Abusin, Lari, Khaled, & Al Emadi, 2020).
Modernization, booming economies, and global population growth are major factors
contributing to increased waste generation. Desertification of farmland, climate change, soil
degradation, water shortages, and arable land per capita are the main characteristics of Qatar
state. This semi-arid and arid environment thus makes it difficult to produce food locally.
Researchers have proposed a sustainable waste treatment in the past that also contributes to
Qatar’s National Vision 2030 (Parthasarathy, Alherbawi, Shahbaz, Al-Ansari, & McKay, 2023).
However, our study proposed composting as an alternative method. A composter integrated
with a methane capture system allows the capture of methane gas and convert it to renewable
resources that benefit the environment.
Introduction
According to the World Food Programme, one-third of food produced for human consumption
is lost or wasted globally. A staggering 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted every year, which is
worth approximately US$1 trillion (World Food Programme, 2020). Middle East and Arab
countries are huge contributors to this global amount of food waste, as their food waste
average is much higher than the rest of the world (Dalal, 2023). Qatar, one of those Middle
Eastern countries, wastes 95 kg of food per person per year, compared to the average of 70 kg
in the United States (U. N. Environment, 2024)

Qatar, having a very high per capita income, has a higher level of consumption, which often
leads to a higher level of food waste (Trading Economics, 2019). Moreover, Qatar imports 90%
of the food that it consumes, which leads to overstocking and, eventually, spoilage (Wardah
Mamukoya, 2020). Qatar’s hot and humid climatic conditions also contribute to spoiling food
sooner, especially for perishable food such as fruits, vegetables, and dairy products (Gokulan,
2019). One of the major causes of food waste in Qatar and in the Middle East is the cultural
norms and consumer behaviors, where people prepare excess food as a display of hospitality
and generosity (Ryan, 2018). Especially in months like Ramadan, food waste levels rise
dramatically as the predictability of food consumption becomes difficult and production
becomes rather high.

A 2015 study by the researchers of Georgetown University at Qatar claims that around 50% of
Qatar’s landfills are food waste (Writer & Peninsula, 2023). According to studies, about 10% of
the world's greenhouse gas emissions which is an alarming margin (Gikandi, 2021). If this is not
fought now, it will continue in its current form of upward trend and soon reach a point of no
return, or it will be almost impossible to stop it before it makes a severe impact on the world.

Even though this problem was tried to solve by implementing policies and awareness programs,
it hardly uses engineering solutions. This technical report presents some of the potential
engineering solutions that can be implemented in Qatar to reduce its alarming food waste.
Whether there is an almost equal share of food waste between households, restaurants, and
supermarkets in Qatar, the most effective solution will cover all the areas.

Since the focus is on Qatar and its goal of meeting the Qatar National Vision (QNV) 2030 in the
environmental, economic, social, and human sectors, they were taken into consideration while
selecting the solutions. Qatar imports 90% of its food, which could be dramatically cut down if
the food waste margin can be reduced (Wardah Mamukoya, 2020). It will have both economic
and environmental benefits for Qatar. Qatar does not have to spend a bulk of foreign currency
to import food and can rather produce food themselves if the food waste can somehow be
turned into natural fertilizer. Moreover, the landfill space it takes to dispose of all these food
wastes can be cut down if the waste amount can be cut down. Furthermore, reducing food
waste can also target the environmental sector of the QNV 2030 since disposing of them in
landfills produces a significant amount of greenhouse gasses through decomposition and other
methods. All of these factors have been taken into consideration while choosing our solution,
and they will be discussed in detail in this technical report.

Methodology
To start, a problem must be identified and narrowed down to where a solution can be made.
This problem must be able to be addressed in relation to the Qatar National Vision and its four
pillars of social, economic, environmental, and human development. It was determined that
food wastage was both an economic and environmental issue, as wastage of food leads to the
need to produce more, which would put a strain on the already small agriculture market in
Qatar. As well as, when food rots, it produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas that
contributes to the pollution in Qatar. As part of the decision process, the solution must have a
way of minimizing food wastage and a way of dealing with the release of methane gas produced
by food that is thrown out.

To determine the potential solutions for reducing household food wastage, a set of criteria must
be met, and then the data to be analyzed to determine which is the most efficient. This
information was collected from scholarly articles such as academic journals, and reports from
credible sources. As part of the research, methods previously tried are to be taken into
consideration, these methods can be from private companies or state-sponsored programs.
With the problem defined, and how to research the solutions, the rest of the criteria must be
defined and established, so that they can be utilized in a decision matrix. One of the first topics
brought up was the cost of producing the product. The solution should be affordable to most
people as the more people the solution reaches, the less food is wasted. The lower the cost
would result in a higher number on the decision matrix. Our product would have to be able to
reduce the amount of waste quickly and efficiently. Ease of use would be the next criterion, as it
must be simple to use, or else people will get discouraged from using something complex and
difficult to use. Another piece of criteria is how many people could gain access to one, should
they not be able to purchase their household-sized product. The final criterion set by the group
was how much of an environmental impact this solution would have. This means that the
solution should significantly decrease the amount of food wasted and prevent additional
pollution from either its production or maintenance.

Table 1: The decision matrix that will be used to find the best solution.
Criteria Considerations within the criteria.

Cost Cost to produce, set up, and maintain. Lower cost means a higher
score

Efficiency How well does it reduce or utilize food waste. The more effective it is
the higher its score.

Ease of Use The complexity of set-up and use. The more people that can use the
solution without issue, the higher the score

Scalability How many people can get access to the solution. The more people
can physically access the product, the higher the score.

Environmental Impact Pollution generated or subtracted from use. The more waste it
would potentially, the higher the score.

Results
1) Composter with Methane Capture
The idea of composters as a concept dates back to around 2350 BC in the Akkadian Empire
(Callis, 2020), at the time, composters were large vessels that contained discarded organic
matter that decomposed into compost, a nutrient-rich fertilizer substance. This happens
because microscopic organisms break down the food and turn that into soil and methane gas.
For an example of how much methane is produced by decomposition, a landfill in Spain that
covered an area of 335 km2 produced about 9.16 kilotons per year of methane gas (Sánchez et
al., 2019). Methane gas is highly flammable and can be stored the same way as natural gas.
With about 50% of waste being organic, (Ayilara, 2020) the amount of both compost and
methane produced if we use this process could drastically reduce the carbon footprint of
agriculture and thus increase the food supply globally. However, it should be noted that this is
not to replace natural gas as not enough is produced through this process to justify a switch
and it still produces carbon dioxide when combusted. It would act more as a substitute or
supplementary fuel source to reduce the drilling required for natural gas. So creating a device
that anaerobic digests the waste into compost, and captures the methane gas for use in
heating, cooking, or anything that requires combustion would reduce carbon emissions in a
variety of industries. The cost to make these composters would be the middle solution out of
all the solutions that will be presented and after developing the microenvironment to digest
the food, it will be one of the easiest solutions to use as you just dump food into it and empty
it and compost.

2) Mobile App
With an estimated 6.4 billion people owning a smartphone (Liu & Ellis, 2021), everyone has
some way to remind themselves of something. So if a mobile app is developed to display what
you have, and how long it is still edible before it goes bad, it could reduce the amount of food
wasted. This potential app would take in multiple variables, such as the temperature of what
the food is stored at, the day it was bought, and whether it was fresh to start to determine how
long it will last in current conditions. From there it would display recipes on how to cook the
food and all the possible dishes that could be made with what is available. Along with this, it
would remind the individual when the food is about to expire or if a food should have already
expired. However, the main drawback of this system is that people could just ignore the
reminders and not do anything about the food, as seen in a study where there was only an
average change of .81 kg, with only one student showing a significant reduction (Mathisen &
Johansen, 2022). However, the inclusion of the storage data and recipe engine would help
improve this rate as it would encourage the use of the food that would go bad. The cost to
make this app would be the lowest among the three solutions and since so many people use
their phone, it will have the best ease of use.

3) Conversion into Chemical Compounds

In Europe, about 700 million tons of crops, such as seeds, leaves, and peels are wasted each
year. These crops are high in essential oils and nutrients that are not utilized and tend to get
burned, causing 8% of global greenhouse emissions (Hrelia et al., 2023). If these high essential
oils and vitamin-rich substances were extracted from these bio-masses, a significant amount of
waste would disappear. This process could be done chemically or naturally and these essential
oils and vitamins can be sold to other industries, such as pharmaceuticals, or beauty
corporations. For example, used grapes from wine and alcohol production contain many useful
compounds in their chemical bonds, and extraction via a solvent like ethanol or a green solvent
like ChCit can be used to extract these compounds for use. (Hrelia et al., 2023) However, the
cost is far greater than any of the previous solutions due to having to bring the material in and
then processing and refining it. Ease of use would depend on what the product becomes, but
turning it into a product is very labor intensive.
Analysis

After setting the criteria, the team added them to the matrix and reviewed the three possible
solutions. In the decision matrix used to evaluate potential solutions for food waste
management, each option is assessed against five key criteria: cost, efficiency, ease of use,
scalability, and environmental impact. This structured evaluation helps determine the most
effective solution based on quantifiable metrics. Table 2 displays the rating for each solution.
The ratings show that the composter was chosen as the best solution for dealing with food
waste in Qatar as it held the highest total score.

Table 2: The decision matrix determining the best solution

Criteria Composter App Antioxidants

Cost 3 5 1

Efficiency 5 1 3

Ease of Use 4 5 3

Scalability 3 5 4

Environmental Impact 5 1 3

Total 20 17 14

The solution that involves processing food into valuable chemicals, labeled as “antioxidants”,
scored the least points, with a total of 14 points only. It faces significant challenges, particularly
in cost with a score of 1, which is reflective of high production and setup expenses. Its moderate
scores in efficiency and environmental impact both scoring a 3, indicate some potential in waste
reduction and pollution control but not enough to justify the high costs. The ease of use and
scalability are both rated at 3 and 4, respectively, suggesting that while the solution can be
applied on a broader scale, it might require complex processes that could limit its practicality.

The application solution received a total score of 17, It scores highest in cost and ease of use,
both scoring a 5, indicating it is the cheapest to develop and the most user-friendly. This makes
it highly accessible and likely to be adopted by a broad audience. However, it needs more
efficiency and environmental impact, both scoring a 1, questioning its actual effectiveness in
reducing food waste and its direct environmental benefits. Its scalability is excellent at 5,
suggesting it can be easily rolled out to a large number of users.

The composter solution scores a total of 20 out of 25 points, making it the top-ranked solution.
It achieves a score of 3 in cost, indicating a moderate balance between affordability and
benefits. The high-efficiency score of 5 reflects its capability to significantly reduce and utilize
food waste by converting it into compost and capturing methane for energy use. Its ease of use
is rated at 4, suggesting that while there may be some initial learning curve, it is generally
user-friendly. The scalability score of 3 points to some limitations in wider applications without
significant investment or adaptation. However, it excels in environmental impact with a score of
5, highlighting its strong positive effect on reducing emissions and landfill use.

Although each solution had its advantages, the composter solution was ultimately considered
the best based on its high score on the solution matrix, balancing cost, effectiveness, ease of
use, scalability, and environmental benefits.

Recommendation
In this paper, we have proposed a potential and innovative solution to cater to the widespread
food waste in Qatar. This report explores a technique that can combine the traditional
composting method with methane capture technology and form a hybrid solution. The
combined approach offers a two-pronged attack and not only effectively reduces waste but also
captures and reduces methane emissions associated with the process.

First, our research study suggests the incorporation of a standard composter that is designed for
food waste. This traditional composter will be integrated with a methane capture unit. We know
that it is inevitable to prevent food waste, so as the organic matter decomposes, our proposed
system would collect the methane gas generated by microorganisms that play a part in the
breakdown process.

Next, the captured methane gas will be transformed into a clean-burning fuel source. We can
then use this methane biofuel gas to serve various purposes such as in heating systems or
power cooking appliances. This transformation mitigates the risk associated with methane
emissions typically while composting and creates a renewable energy source. Although this
solution offers significant environmental perks, it is important to keep other considerations in
mind. Establishing the right balance between microorganisms and the composting environment
will require ongoing maintenance and time. Also, large-scale implementation of this solution
requires further research to support the solution, ensuring efficient utilization of the biogas
produced at various levels.

The success of our solution relies heavily on collaboration between various stakeholders. The
support of the government is evident to optimize the technology and adopt it at a larger scale.
The public can be educated using banners and education campaigns that can also encourage the
role of individuals. They can play a part in helping to compost methane capture, promoting its
economic benefits and environmental advantages.

By focusing on these features, our proposed hybrid solution can help promote a more
sustainable food culture in Qatar and contribute to Qatar’s sustainable development goals. This
innovative technology presents a promising approach to tackling food waste in Qatar.
Addressing the scalability challenges and investigating the investment aspect will be crucial for
maximizing its benefits. By working together, we can leverage technology by forming a future
where food waste is nothing but a relic of the past.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the technical report highlighted the severe issue of food waste in Qatar. Qatar's
heavy reliance on food imports and its climatic conditions exacerbate the challenge, leading to
significant wastage across all sectors of food consumption. The findings underscore the urgency
of addressing this waste, not just as a matter of reducing landfill use and greenhouse gas
emissions, but as a critical component of Qatar's food security and sustainability goals.

Through comprehensive research, this report has proposed viable engineering solutions that
are aligned with Qatar National Vision 2030. Among these, the integrated composter with
methane capture has emerged as a particularly promising option. This solution not only
mitigates waste but also turns a potential environmental hazard into a valuable resource,
thereby supporting Qatar's energy needs sustainably.

This report is a call to action, urging all sectors to adopt more responsible consumption patterns
and to invest in technologies that can turn the tide against food waste. By doing so, Qatar can
achieve substantial economic benefits, enhance its environmental resilience, and take a
significant step towards fulfilling its national vision.

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