Rethinking Waste Today for a Sustainable Future

2026-03-28 - 14:03

The Times Kuwait Report Every year humanity generates over two billion tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW)—the organic and non-organic waste collected by municipalities primarily from households, retail, commercial, and business outlets. Only a small fraction of MSW is recycled, and without urgent rethink and action this waste is expected to cross over 3.8 billion tonnes annually by 2050, hampering global sustainability efforts and accelerating climate change. International Day of Zero Waste, observed annually on 30 March, aims to raise awareness on the acute waste crisis, address waste pollution, strengthen waste management, and encourage sustainable production and consumption patterns that minimize waste. The day emphasizes the need for reducing, reusing, and recycling waste, and moving towards a circular economy, with the goal being to encourage governments, industries, and individuals to embrace zero-waste initiatives, reduce extraction of resources, and prevent pollution of land and water. For this year’s International Day of Zero Waste, the focus is on food—what we eat, what we waste, and how we can move towards a more circular future. According to the 2024 Food Waste Index Report, published by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), an estimated 1.05 billion tons of food is wasted worldwide annually. This wastage comes against the backdrop of a world where more than 783 million people go hungry every day, and where more than 2.3 billion individuals remain food insecure. In Kuwait, according to environmental figures from the Central Statistical Bureau, the country generated nearly three million tonnes of MSW in 2022. For a nation that relies almost entirely on imports for most of the products used, and, in particular, for much of its food supplies, this resource wastage is unsustainable and unconscionable. The wastage hinders efforts aimed at achieving sustainable development and food security, as well as impedes the state’s progress towards realizing its ambitious New Kuwait Vision 2035. In this regard, two waste analysis studies published recently by researchers at Kuwait University highlights the mounting unsustainability of Kuwait’s MSW generation, and recommends solutions to address some of the fundamental waste sector challenges. The studies suggest policy initiatives and regulatory reforms that could further strengthen sustainable waste management practices. Relative to earlier studies, the two new studies provide deeper, more discrete data quantifying and characterizing the MSW generated, and on food wastage patterns among households in Kuwait. The studies also frame the MSW challenge from an institutional, economic, and policy aspect, and recommend strategies and techniques to address the country’s growing waste crisis. The studies revealed that on average, each person in Kuwait generates 1.7 kg of MSW daily—more than double the global average of 0.74 kg per day. Organic waste (37.1%), plastics (26%), and paper (25.6%) constituted the three largest components of MSW. Food waste, a sub-component of organic waste, formed the highest fraction of MSW at 35.1 percent—a steep increase from the 26 percent estimated by Kuwait’s Environmental Public Authority (EPA) in 2019. Statistical analysis of results from the quantifying study’s household waste survey—conducted among 150 households over a two-week monitoring period—showed that excess food production (58.8%) and rancid or foods past expiry date (14%) accounted for most of the food discarded by households. Nearly half (46%) of the survey respondents said that they discarded excess food produced in the garbage while an equal percentage said they donated it to food banks. With regard to expired food stuff, most households (40%) said they disposed of it in the garbage; around 23 percent said they used their judgement to decide if expired food was still edible; and 4.7 percent reported feeding expired food to animals. Additionally, 40 percent of households reported that they sometimes donate food, 29.3 percent said they always donate food, and 20.7 percent indicated they never donated food. Fresh fruits and vegetables accounted for the largest chunk of waste, with Fridays resulting in maximum per capita wastage at 1.97 kg. The study identified cooking and purchasing more food than needed as one of the main contributors to household food waste, and suggested that efforts to reduce this waste should focus on improving kitchen skills, such as portion sizes and meal planning. The study stressed the need to tailor food waste prevention strategies and campaigns to highlight how holidays and social gatherings generate excessive food waste, and to emphasize that donating excess food was a more humanitarian and environmentally better option than sending it to landfills. While many developed countries have a higher rate of MSW generation than Kuwait, they also tend to treat nearly 90 percent of their MSW systematically, with only a fraction sent to landfills. In contrast, a study by the EPA in 2022 revealed that nearly 88 percent of MSW in Kuwait ends up in one of six unorganized landfills and only around 11 percent was recycled. The study showed that untreated organic waste, in just three of the operational landfills, was estimated to emit over 4.5 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalents annually, contributing to greenhouse gases ( GHG) that precipitate global warming and climate change. Additionally, liquids from the untreated organic waste produced highly toxic leachate that contaminates the surrounding soil, and sinks down to pollute the country’s scant groundwater supplies. The study on characterization of MSW revealed the substantial potential to redirect waste towards recycling and energy recovery programs. For instance, biogas, generated from organic waste using anaerobic digesters, could be used as renewable fuel, or the waste could be composted to serve as soil enhancers.The study noted that preventing food waste from ending up in unstructured landfills could also result in significant benefits to public health and yield economic and environmental advantages. Based on historic growth rate, the three million tonnes of MSW generated in Kuwait is expected to increase by eight percent annually. The absence of an effective waste management strategy to guide policy- and decision-making processes, the dearth of properly engineered modern landfills, the paucity of economic incentives to promote material recycling and waste-to-energy recovery approaches, have all contributed to the steady rise of MSW in Kuwait. The two analytical studies on waste underlined the need to introduce effective plans, policies, and processes to manage waste, as well as implement coherent awareness and outreach initiatives to educate and encourage wider stakeholder participation in waste management strategies. Unless urgent mitigatory measures to reduce, reuse, and recycle waste are implemented, Kuwait could soon find itself overwhelmed by an avalanche of waste. Global food loss and waste is estimated to cost over US$1 trillion annually, and reducing this waste offers one of the most cost-effective, scalable, and high-impact solutions to address hunger and food insecurity worldwide. Reducing waste also cuts GHG emissions, especially that of methane, from landfills mitigating their contribution to global warming and climate change. However, for this transition to succeed, we all have a role to play. A statement from UNEP notes that a zero-waste future is possible when we all work together. Governments can advance food waste prevention through national policies and regulations that reduce food waste, encourage food circularity and sustainable development. Businesses can strengthen partnerships with public enterprises to find innovative solutions that support the transition to circular food systems and improve efficiency across supply chains. As consumers, we all can contribute to reducing waste by planning, buying, storing, preparing, and consuming food more mindfully; supporting food recovery, redistribution and composting initiatives; reducing waste and saving resources; and working to build circular food systems. Together we can ensure that all food is valued, not wasted.