The UAE wants to turn 40% of its municipal waste into a resource

Emirates Biotech and United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) have launched a two-year research project to develop the UAE’s first integrated organic-waste valorization pilot plant, which will process food waste and compostable packaging into renewable biogas and nutrient-rich compost.

Located near the UAEU campus in Al Ain, the facility will process up to 40kg of organic waste per day. The project will run from August 2026 to August 2028, with installation and commissioning expected to be completed by August 2027.

Researchers will assess the technical, environmental and economic performance of the system and develop guidance for potential expansion in the UAE and other markets. The project involves stakeholders including the Emirates Environmental Group, Hotpack, AW Rostamani Group’s VerraPak, Tadweer Group, the University of Sharjah and Pacogreen.

Food waste accounts for nearly 40% of the UAE’s daily municipal solid waste, with a significant share sent to landfills. Conventional plastic packaging contaminated with food residues can also be difficult to recycle.

The pilot will examine whether food waste and compostable packaging can be processed together to recover resources and reduce the volume of waste sent to landfill.

The facility will combine anaerobic digestion and composting. Anaerobic digestion will convert organic waste into renewable biogas, while the resulting digestate will be composted into nutrient-rich compost. A separate laboratory-scale study will also assess whether the biogas can be converted into renewable hydrogen.

Students and researchers will participate in the project, gaining practical experience in waste-to-resource technologies.

Professor Zafar Said Sher, UAEU project lead, said the project will assess an end-of-life pathway for food waste and compostable packaging while building local expertise in waste-to-resource technologies.

“The integrated pilot project will evaluate a practical end-of-life pathway for food waste and compostable packaging while supporting the UAE’s circular economy, food security and Net Zero ambitions,” Sher said.

Emirates Biotech Chief Technology Officer Dr. Aman Kulshrestha said the project will test an integrated biorefinery model in which organic waste is converted into biogas, with potential upgrading to green hydrogen, while the resulting digestate is used to produce compost.

If successfully scaled, the partners estimate that an integrated organic-waste valorization plant could reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 89% compared with landfilling.

The project is expected to generate technical data on the system’s performance and provide a modular framework for potentially scaling the approach across the UAE and beyond.