Cleaning up the scraps

ENAR

The Lebanese do not have a good record when it comes to the environment. There are few facilities for disposing of your waste in an environmentally-friendly manner, and those that do exist are often underused. But have you ever wondered what happens to the leftover scraps of food on your plate at a resturant or what pubs do with all their empty bottles? A new scheme aims to ensure that none of that waste ends up as landfill. Food Establishments Recycling Nutrients (FERN), a nonprofit social enterprise based in Lebanon and advocating for environmental stewardship in food establishments, works with hotels and restaurants to help them both compost and recycle. Established less than a year ago by Meredith Danberg-Ficarelli and Naji Boustany, FERN aims to encourage establishments to reduce waste through a “multistep process beginning with a chat with the food establishment owners to explain what we do,” Danberg-Ficarelli says.