Dubai-based ‘Waste Lab’ founders to turn desert sand into farmable soil

Dubai-based ‘Waste Lab’ founders to turn desert sand into farmable soil

The female-led start-up has developed equipment to back their nature-based eco solutions

Published: Wed 10 Aug 2022, 9:06 AM

For Lara Hussein and Ceylan Üren, founders of the Waste Lab company, the goal is to provide every food scrap to become part of a solution rather than a burden on society and the environment.

The Waste Lab focuses on tackling the issue of food waste across households and businesses in the country by ‘rescuing food scraps’ and transforming the country’s desert sand into farmable soil.

A Dubai-based female-led start-up, The Waste Lab has developed low-tech equipment to back their nature-based solutions in restoring ecological balance. “Every papaya seed can be rescued; every dragon fruit peel can be rescued,” said the company’s founders.

What is the Waste Lab?

Funded by Incubayt, an early-stage investment company, the company offers off-site and on-site composting.

“It targets both B2C and B2B clients, with the scope to customise subscriptions to suit individual needs and also provide consultancy services and contracts to restaurants, hotels, schools, and other establishments,” explained Hussein.

“The latest offering involves conducting on-site household composting as well as disseminating a part of the mature compost back to them,” she added. “These efforts are directed towards addressing the issue at the grassroots