Ramadan Waste in Dubai

It’s a little weird that the Jerusalem Post - an Israeli paper – is taking umbrage with the most holy of Muslim holidays, but it raises a fair point, so I’ll allow it: “Ramadan in Dubai: a month of soaring food waste?”

Despite the hours of preparation put into the often vast displays of food, waiters at top hotels in Dubai say much of the food left over goes straight into the waste bins.

The amount of food thrown out in the emirate jumps considerably in the holy month – by as much as 20 percent according to Dubai Municipality, with most of the waste comprising rice and non-vegetable foods.

Around 1,850 tons of food were thrown out on average per day during Ramadan in 2010, roughly 20 percent of total waste in the emirate during the holy month, it said.

Dubai wasteful? Huh.