Food Waste Management
at the National University of Uzbekistan: A Culture of Minimizing Waste
At the National University of Uzbekistan (NUUz), food waste management is a key component of the institution’s broader sustainability strategy. Across multiple campus kitchens, the university ensures that students and staff receive safe and nutritious meals while taking active, systematic steps to minimize food waste and promote resource efficiency.
While NUUz does not yet have a formal system for quantitatively measuring food waste
The univesity estimation approximately
of food waste is generated annually
Most of this waste consists of organic materials — fruit and vegetable peels, food scraps, and biodegradable matter — which are repurposed rather than discarded.
Food waste from campus kitchens is:
Redirected to local farmers and livestock producers as natural feed and compost material;
Utilized by the Department of Biology for composting and soil regeneration experiments;
Department of Chemistry and Department of Biology for laboratory research
“Department of Ecological Monitoring” which focuses on environmental monitoring, rational use of resources, low-waste technologies, etc.
Environmental monitoring;
- Rational use of resources;
- Development and implementation of low-waste technologies.
Nationally, Uzbekistan has implemented the “Save Food” programme, a government-led initiative designed to reduce food waste across the catering and retail sectors. NUUz’s food waste management practices complement this national effort, contributing to Uzbekistan’s broader transition toward sustainable resource use.