Achieving the UAE’s circular economy ambitions will depend heavily on improving organic waste management systems, according to experts speaking at a high-level panel hosted by the American University of Sharjah and organised by Emirates Biotech.

The discussion brought together officials from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, waste management operators, and academics to examine how the country can build an integrated organic waste management system aligned with the UAE Green Agenda 2030 and the Circular Economy Policy 2021–2031.

Participants noted that organic waste currently accounts for nearly 40% of municipal waste generated in the UAE, highlighting the environmental risks linked to landfill disposal. They warned that decomposing organic waste in landfills releases methane emissions, which have a significantly greater short-term warming impact than carbon dioxide.

The panel discussions underscored the need for stronger waste processing infrastructure and broader adoption of compostable materials, alongside mandatory waste segregation at source to improve recycling and diversion rates.

Speakers also called for enhanced regulatory frameworks and economic incentives that would encourage businesses and municipalities to redirect organic waste away from landfills and into more sustainable processing systems.

Beyond environmental benefits, the panel highlighted the economic potential of developing the UAE’s bio-materials and organic waste management sector, describing it as a growing industrial opportunity aligned with the country’s Operation 300bn initiative aimed at expanding the industrial sector’s contribution to the national economy.