The Waste Lab is an impact-driven start-up, co-founded by two women, with a business model that aligns profitability with delivering tangible environmental benefits. Using data and technology, the company transforms food waste into organic compost, true to its name and purpose.
The waste we ignore: A growing crisis
Methane is a significant contributor to climate change, with around 20 per cent of global methane emissions resulting from waste. Each year, the world produces over two billion metric tonnes of waste that is managed unsustainably. Poor disposal methods, particularly in landfill sites, release harmful greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, exacerbating environmental challenges.
A greener future begins here: Meet The Waste Lab
Composting is an effective way for individuals to reduce methane and carbon emissions. By encouraging aerobic breakdown of organic waste, it reduces methane release and helps create healthier soil capable of storing more carbon – ultimately lowering one’s carbon footprint. The Waste Lab plays a key role in helping businesses, households, and events across the UAE manage their organic waste responsibly at the source. This approach produces nutrient-rich compost and useful by-products that improve soil quality, support agriculture, enhance food production, and create employment opportunities.
From scraps to soil: How the model works
The Waste Lab prioritises services that help build a sustainable community connected to nature. This business aims to make a significant environmental impact by adopting sustainable practices and utilising food waste as a vital resource for healthier living.
The Waste Lab contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
SDG 13: Climate Action
SDG 15: Life on Land
They work on these goals through two ways of composting:
- On-Site Composting: The Waste Lab offers services such as consultations to design compost systems, organising workshops, providing impact reports, and helping establishments such as restaurants, schools, and hotels effectively manage on-site composting of their food waste. This service model supports households, businesses, and events with sufficient space to compost on-site.
- Off-Site Composting: This service provides a convenient and eco-friendly solution for households, businesses, and events that lack the space for on-site composting. Clients are provided with compost bins and clear instructions for proper sorting. Clients can choose either a regular subscription or a one-off collection, making it easy to fit their needs.
Real change, real numbers: The impact so far
They provide customers with detailed insights into the positive impact made through composting with The Waste Lab’s services. For example, they share an impact report outlining the environmental benefits — including the litres of gasoline saved, the kilograms of CO₂e emissions avoided, the equivalent number of smartphones not charged and so on.
These tangible metrics not only validate the effectiveness of composting but also encourage continued participation by showing the difference each contribution makes.
Beyond compost: Educating communities and building culture
The Waste Lab does not follow a conventional B2C business model; instead, it offers a service rooted in building relationships and encouraging a renewed connection with nature. They collaborate with communities, introducing them to what the core purpose of the company is and what makes the company engage in such innovation. The Waste Lab also supports the achievement of the SDGs, as its core aim is to raise awareness among individuals about their daily consumption.
Voices behind the mission
The Waste Lab is co-owned by Lara Hussein and Ceylan Üren, with Lara Hussein serving as the CEO and Ceylan Üren as the CDO. They are both young and driven by their motivation to bring positive changes in the world even if the changes are small.
Rethinking waste: A closing thought
Waste is not simply what we discard; it is what we fail to see as a resource. However, The Waste Lab uses waste as a valuable resource, helping us make the world a better place through sustainable practices and determination. Our role is to support their business, and others like it, so together we can leave a lasting positive impact.
