Canadian University Dubai students develop smart solution to curb food waste

Canadian University Dubai students develop smart solution to curb food waste

Dubai, UAE: A team of computer science students from Canadian university Dubai (CUD) has developed a smart solution that aims to reduce food waste by converting it into a source of renewable energy. The technology, known as Digi-Bin, has been created to support the UAE’s national sustainable consumption initiative, ne’ma, which aims to half food waste by 2030.

Developed under the banner, ‘Resolving food waste while rewarding you’, the Digi-Bin is intended to incentivize waste recycling by helping consumers to save on their electricity bills. The solution collects discarded food products and transports them to a biogas plant to be converted into biofuel, which can then be redirected into the power grid. Users are rewarded with carbon credits, which can be applied as savings coupons on their electricity bills.

The Digi-Bin was first conceived by the team of Zahab Khan, Prateek Mishra, and Denver Dias, in response to a competition called ‘Future Disruptors’, organized by technology firm, Software AG. The competition called on students to form small groups to present innovative projects that focussed on an aspect of the United Nation’s Global Sustainable Development Goals.

Revealing their thinking behind the project, Zahab said, “We were inspired by an article we read that explained