Food waste recycling initiative – Carob House

Food waste recycling initiative

Food scraps goes back to farm compost system

The idea of the food scraps recycling initiative came by as we started to pilot eggs delivery to households in Amman. We wanted to offset the greenhouse gases emitted when food is transported to nearby cities and also bring back to our farming system valuable organic material that can basically turn into compost and support the food production cycle. We also found out that there is a huge number of awesome conscious people who realize the wrongness of sending food waste to landfills and are yearning for an opportunity to recycle.

As our food production capacity starts to grow, we will gradually enroll more households in this food delivery/recycling system. Those who wish to enroll will need to devise a simple internal system whereby they are able to keep their week’s food scraps in a relatively good condition. One could use the fridge or freezer if space is available, but it is also easy to keep them in a separate bin in the backyard shade or on the balcony. And to avoid salvage and bad odor, one can use saw dust in the bottom of the bin and in between the scraps. The saw dust is mostly carbon that acts as a sponge. This way, we don’t consume fridge space or energy in the process.

The delivery of eggs (and other food products in the future) will take place on a weekly basis. There will be no packaging waste involved in the process. You’ll take your order from our basket directly to your kitchen container, and hand in your food recycling bin to be emptied in a large bin placed in the delivery vehicle. All done in one trip.

Any food can be recycled, but for now, we will only collect plant-based food scraps. That could be vegetables, fruits, bread, grains, etc. And although eggs aren’t plant-based food, egg shells are a great source of calcium and can be added in the same bin.

Over the past week or so, I tested a 3 bucket system with saw dust. I used a 16L collection bin placed on the balcony, a 10L bucket to keep the saw dust next to the main bin, and a smaller countertop container to collect the scraps during cooking and bring it to the main bin. To give you a bit of a visual, please watch the instagram story highlights under Eggs.

If you need help getting the buckets and saw dust we can always help. As for saw dust stock, we will keep some available in the vehicle for whenever you need to restock (shouldn’t cost you more than JD1 a month).

If you have any question please post it here in the comment so that others can benefit. And if you need to talk to someone you always reach us on 0797784433.