JEDDAH: In an effort to provide citizens with healthy and equitable living conditions, Jeddah Municipality has begun a unique initiative to solve the problem of food waste.

To do this, community workers have distributed some 900 containers across the fourteen sub-municipality districts and placed them outside mosques for worshippers to put their leftover bread or bakery products inside.

Mohamed Buqami, the municipality spokesperson, said that the initiative comes after requests were made by restaurants, food stores and wedding halls, where much food was being wasted unnecessarily.

He explained that the main aim of the initiative is to preserve the sanctity of food, by reducing food waste and reusing it for a good cause.

He noted that the food collected in the bins will be divided into both 'good' and 'bad' foods, of which the good portion will be distributed to charities that work with needy people in the community.

The rotten food which is not fit for human consumption will be sealed in bags and placed in special containers. These will be given to clean-up and disposal companies that are accredited by Jeddah Municipality to get rid of safely.

Buqami added that the total food waste in the province of Jeddah is approximately 6,000 tons per day, of which approximately 60 percent is wasted by the residents of Jeddah.