Mecca City Council complains of Ramadan food waste

Council official Osama al-Zaytuni told the Arab News website that refuse
workers collected 5,000 tonnes of waste in the first three days, "not
including 28,000 sheep carcasses". The council of Islam's holiest city has
installed 45 waste compressors near the Central Mosque and sent out an
extra 8,000 street-cleaners for the duration of the holiday to try to cope
with the problem.
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> A study by King Saud University rates Saudi Arabia as the biggest waster
of food in the world, with 30% of the four million dishes prepared during
Ramadan being thrown away uneaten at a cost of 1.2m Saudi Riyals (£187,000;
$320,000).
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> Specialists blame the Ramadan practices of buying too much food in
advance, cooking fresh each day rather than using leftovers, and donating
more produce to the poor than charities can distribute. The government has
appealed to people to cook smaller meals, and is investing in an organic
fertiliser factory to absorb some of the waste.
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> Saudi Arabia is not alone in this. The Middle Eastern environmental group
EcoMena says a quarter of the food prepared in Qatar during Ramadan is
thrown away, and Abu Dhabi's Food Control Authority has issued tips on how
to reduce the amount that goes to waste.