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Food waste management current practices and sustainable future approaches: a Saudi Arabian perspectives

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Abstract

Food waste management (FWM) has been a global issue that persistently challenges several developed and developing countries. Many socio-economic factors have been leading to generation of huge volume of food waste (FW) in Saudi Arabia (KSA). With no documented study which comprehensively addressed this issue, this paper presents the scenario of FW and its management in KSA. Currently, neither clear strategies nor policies relevant to FWM are established. Recent Saudi Food Bank initiative has been recording tremendous successes in FW source reduction, though more stakeholders’ efforts are required while government proactive support and policies are necessary to ensure prosperity of such types of initiatives are sustained. Lack of sufficient FW data as well as difficulties in capturing data for the entire KSA cities suggest that the global food sustainability index should be cautiously embraced despite its objectivity. Major challenges to FWM in KSA include solid waste segregation, inadequate legislations, well accepted traditional landfill disposal practices, public attitudes, lack of awareness as well as uncertainty of FW byproducts acceptability. Taking into cognizance the global trend of concept of circular economy with immense contributions of FW to prospective bio-refineries could be of paramount importance in achieving environmental sustainability as enshrined in KSA Vision-2030.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University for its continuous support with this research work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O Box 1982, Dammam, 31451, Saudi Arabia

    Nuhu Dalhat Mu’azu, Nawaf I. Blaisi & Isam Mohammed Abdel-Magid

  2. Department of Urban and Regional Planning, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80210, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia

    Ammar A. Naji

  3. Department of Urban and Regional Planning, College of Architecture and Planning, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 2397, Dammam, 31451, Saudi Arabia

    Ali AlQahtany

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  1. Nuhu Dalhat Mu’azu
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  2. Nawaf I. Blaisi
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  4. Isam Mohammed Abdel-Magid
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  5. Ali AlQahtany
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Correspondence to Nuhu Dalhat Mu’azu.

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Mu’azu, N.D., Blaisi, N.I., Naji, A.A. et al. Food waste management current practices and sustainable future approaches: a Saudi Arabian perspectives. J Mater Cycles Waste Manag 21, 678–690 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-018-0808-4

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