Eid-ul-Adha, also known as the Festival of Sacrifice, holds immense cultural and religious significance for Muslims worldwide. It commemorates the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God. During this festival, millions of animals are sacrificed, resulting in substantial amounts of waste.
Despite various Governmental and social efforts being taken to properly manage the immense amount of slaughterhouse waste produced during the three days of Eid, Bangladesh lags in terms of modern waste management. Most of the valuable slaughterhouse wastes end up in the dumpsters or landfills, polluting the environment and waste of upscaling them. Other Muslim countries like Turkey, Gulf nations, etc are making significant strikes during the Eid days and managing the waste by turning it into various profitable products.
Managing Slaughterhouse Waste during Eid-ul-Adha
During Eid-ul-Adha, Bangladesh witnesses a massive influx of animal sacrifices. Last year, more than 10 million animals composed primarily of cows and goats were sacrificed throughout the country. This results in a significant volume of waste, including animal carcasses, blood, and other byproducts. During the Three days of Eid, we witness vast mismanagement of cattle waste, especially improper disposal of slaughterhouse waste. Inappropriate handling of these wastes can lead to environmental pollution, foul odor, and health hazards.
The Government of Bangladesh has a special set of rules for waste management during Eid-Ul-Adha, targeting primarily city corporations and urban areas. Authorities encourage people to sacrifice animals at designated places. This helps concentrate waste in specific locations for easier management. Our existing waste collection and management infrastructures are not prepared to handle this surge. Due to the Eid holiday, a significant percentage of waste collection employees are on vacation, further reducing manpower in the waste collection department.
Sadly, due to a lack of proper funding, training and management, our waste collection and management facilities are still very much old-fashioned and manual.
From beginning to the end the process till today is mostly done by hand and requires a big labor force. Most of the locally designated waste collection areas are just around the corner of residential buildings, further polluting our roads, footpaths etc. Employees involved in this sector are low-skilled and ill-equipped.
In this day and age, almost every kind of waste is considered quite valuable and managed to be upcycled.
But in Bangladesh despite having dire necessity of resources, we are not concerned about the proper recycling of wastes. We are most likely to throw them away into rivers or dump them in landfills. So it can be said that we Bangladeshis are still stuck in the bygone era when wastes were thought of as disposable objects. It’s time to change our perception of waste and treat it as a resource.
Upcycling the wastes
The author believes that almost all readers of this article are familiar with the proper ways of managing slaughterhouse waste on a community scale. So we are not going to discuss them here. Neither are we going to point out how we can sort out the problems of our leather industries. Rather we are going to highlight some widely practiced ways of upscaling slaughterhouse waste.
For centuries, our countrymen have widely used Cattle excretion as a biofuel. We are using them for biofuel and natural fertilizer. Composted material can enrich soil and reduce landfill burden. In urban areas, people are no longer in need of these bioproducts.
But we can be widely benefitted reconsidering waste-to-energy production using slaughterhouse waste as input material. This can include biogas generation.
In Dhaka and many other city corporations, Titas-provided gas lines are now becoming increasingly scarce, so this might be a potential solution for replacing overpriced gas cylinders.
Researchers have explored innovative ways to extract proteins from slaughterhouse waste. By processing this waste, valuable proteins can be recovered and incorporated into industrial processes. One promising application is the development of protein-based wood adhesives. Wood adhesives play a crucial role in various industries, from furniture manufacturing to construction. Traditionally, synthetic adhesives dominate the market, but protein-based alternatives are gaining attention. By utilizing proteins extracted from slaughterhouse waste, we can create sustainable wood adhesives with benefits like Renewable Source, Reduced Environmental Footprint, Improved Water Resistance: Adhesive Strength etc.
Slaughterhouse waste contains keratin-rich materials like feathers, hair, and hooves. Researchers have explored using keratin for creating fiberboards—a sustainable alternative to traditional wood-based boards. These boards find applications in furniture, construction, and interior design. Fiberboard has several benefits, such as being pest-resistant and easy to work with. They are also cheaper than natural wood. Because of these reasons, many interior designers now prefer fiberboard for many applications.
Derived from collagen in animal skin and bones, gelatin is used in food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics.
Worldwide gelatin and collagen market is growing and people are using it for cosmetics and health supplement products. A handful of companies in Bangladesh are now exporting processed slaughterhouse wastes abroad for collagen extraction.
With the growing domestic market of collagen, enterprises should come forward to scale up quality collagen products made in Bangladesh.
In the recent few years, Bangladeshis have increasingly become pet owners, primarily cats and dogs. For our furry companions, we have to rely on expensive imported pet foods. Some slaughterhouse waste, such as organ meats and trimmings, can be processed into nutritious pet food or animal feed. Carefully processed slaughterhouse scraps can be a good alternative to exported pet foods.
Challenges of upcycling :
First and foremost, it’s crucial to recognize that the focus isn’t solely on upgrading slaughterhouse waste management during the Eid ul Adha period. To establish an effective, sustainable upcycling waste management system, we must start from the ground up. Bangladesh, as a nation, plays a pivotal role in this endeavor.
Initially, key stakeholders across the nation should establish clear, goal-oriented objectives and enact laws aligned with these goals. Concurrently, researchers nationwide should conduct comprehensive surveys to assess the prevailing waste management landscape in Bangladesh. Our waste management strategy must be tailored to address our unique challenges, needs, and potential solutions.
To implement such a strategy successfully, several factors come into play.
Firstly, there needs to be a focus on building robust infrastructure, ensuring efficient government functions, providing necessary equipment, and offering adequate training for employees involved in waste management.
Moreover, mass media platforms should play a vital role in educating the public about the importance of utilizing recycled products. While it’s true that initially, recycled and upcycled products may come at a higher cost, government intervention should aim to subsidize these products to make them more affordable for the masses.
It’s also crucial to consider the impact on those currently involved in trading slaughterhouse waste.
As we transition to a modern waste management system, measures must be taken to include these individuals in the workforce to ensure a sustainable outcome that benefits all stakeholders.
By addressing these aspects comprehensively, Bangladesh can pave the way for a more effective, sustainable, and inclusive waste management system that serves the needs of both the environment and its people.
Conclusion
During Eid-ul-Adha, let’s rethink how we handle waste. Instead of tossing it aside, let’s turn slaughterhouse waste into useful stuff, like protein-based wood glue. This way, we honor tradition while being kind to the planet. But it’s not just about what we do during Eid. We can keep making a difference all year round by spreading the word and working together.
To make this happen in Bangladesh, we need better ways to manage waste, plus more people need to know about it. By learning from what other countries are doing, we can make Eid-ul-Adha cleaner and greener for everyone. Let’s take this opportunity to celebrate not just the sacrifice, but also our commitment to a more sustainable future.