Date : 06/11/2002
Household waste during Ramadan increases by 17,000 tons
By Muntaha Al-Fadhli (with photos)
KUWAIT, Nov 6 (KUNA) -- Official statistics show that in the month of
Ramadan during 2000 and 2001, household waste reached 98,923 and 93,945 tons,
respectively, which is an average increase of approximately 17,000 tons of
household waste when compared with other months of the year, a study by the
Environmental Affairs Department at the Kuwait Municipality said.
Director of Food and Municipality Health Service Monitoring Mashaan
Al-Mutairi told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that this increase in household
waste is attributed to the high volume of family consumption that is recorded
during Ramadan.
Taking a quick look at food suppliers across the country, which total 15,
600 commercial shops registered at the Kuwait Municipality, businesses are
successful throughout the year and are only expected to improve during
Ramadan, Al-Mutairi said.
An increase in fresh meat is also seen during Ramadan, according to
statistics from 2000 and 2001, Al-Mutairi said. Quoting official statistics,
he said that 35,470 heads of sheep or goats were slaughtered commercially and
68,830 at home during 2001. This is an increase of the 22,025 at-home
slaughtered livestock or 3,483 slaughtered commerically during any other given
month of the year, he added.
Psychological consultant Dr. Badriya Al-Emadi at the Al-Razi
Center highlighted behavioral incentives that attract consumers to Ramadan
products and foodstuffs. Speaking to KUNA, she said that seeing food on the
supermarket shelf, and feeling hungry from fasting, is a strong enough
incentive to attract a person towards the items on display and over-consume.
She also attributed over-consumption to social mores and their role in
cultural development towards consumer awareness within the family structure.
She said although these patterns are present year-round, they only surface and
become obvious during the month of Ramadan when the notions of generosity and
hospitality are often confused with quantity.
Ramadan advertising and marketing ploys also shoulder the responsibility
for over-consumption, Al-Emadi said, which portray food items in a tempting
manner that make it difficult for the shopper to refuse.
From another point of view, economist and member of the Kuwait Economic
Society Abduljaleel Al-Gharabally told KUNA that there are a large number of
food suppliers in the country, when compared with the amount of people who
live in Kuwait. Supply is more than demand, he added, which causes some items
to be sold at nominal prices, particularly when the expiry dates become
closer. Current political situations in the region are also prompting some
people to store more food than they need in case an emergency should occur,
Al-Gharabally concluded. (end)
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