Farmers in Al Ain benefit as scheme converts waste to compost

Liwa: Kitchen waste is converted into 500 tonnes of organic fertiliser every month, thanks to an initiative by the Al Ain Municipality.

The organic fertiliser has minimised the use of chemical fertilisers in Al Ain, paving the way for eco-friendly agricultural practices, said an executive of a private company, which has been assigned by the Municipality to treat the city's garbage.

"Out of 800 to 1,200 tonnes of garbage collected daily from the city, more than half comes from kitchen waste and remnants of plants and trees collected by a landscaping company. They never include sludge or human waste," said Wail Saod Deebah, sales manager of Emirates Environmental Technology Company in Al Ain.

He spoke to Gulf News at Liwa Agricultural Exhibition organised by Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority.

"They are treated to make compost," he said.

Compost cost

The executive said, although the compost costs Dh250 per tonne in the market, the Municipality gives it to local farmers at a subsided price of Dh125 per tonne which encourages them to minimise the use of chemical fertilisers.

Explaining the treatment of garbage to make compost, Deebah said it begins with the segregation of garbage into recyclable waste and organic waste.

Recyclable materials, like plastics and metals, are packed and sold to companies which recycle them, he said.

Meanwhile, organic waste is filtered again through a 10 millimetre net to take out small solids.

"Although the organic waste contains kitchen waste and remnants of plants, leaves, branches of trees [collected by landscaping companies], it will have small pieces of plastics and metals," he said.

The remaining organic waste is put under the sun for seventy days until it becomes pure organic fertiliser, the executive added.

Use of organic fertiliser

Farmers using compost will also use chemical fertilisers because of a lack of nutrients in the soil, Deebah said.

Date palms are the main crop in Al Ain with each plant needing 50 to 100 kilogrammes of compost during the season.

Vegetable and fruit are the other prominent crops.

"About 20 to 50 kilogrammes of compost is used for a fruit plant," Deebah added.

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