Waste Management
Unless we address the problem of both food waste and solid waste, we will not be able to design a truly sustainable system.
In this page we cover some pressing issues relating to waste management especially Food Waste in Malaysia.
- Waste Management for Sustainable Malaysia
- Types of Waste and ways to address the situation
- Food Waste in Malaysia
- Food Waste to Compost
- Urban Food Waste Management
Waste Management for Sustainable Malaysia
Before we dive deaper into the waste management for Malaysia let us try to understand some key points about waste – what it is and how we can move the processes from a linear to a circular model.
The need to change in such a way that the end products can be reused repurposed or recycled so there is no waste left to pollute.
Another key element with waste that if often not seen in the energy that sticks to the product. As we also increase the “useful time” for every stage of the cycle the product will be used for, the energy spent in order to make the product has that much more value driven out of it.
The more we something the more we are adding to the value derived from it – thus the energy that has originally gone into producing the item, is utilized so much more.
As the first example shows, we see the cycle which exists in nature. The cheat is the sun which constantly provides the energy for the plants to produce. That energy goes through several other forms and eventually the organism is broken down through microbes to become good compost for the plants again – thereby completing the cycle.
For the second cycle which is the human production of “stuff”, we take the example of a typical can of soda which is made of Aluminum and is used once and thrown away.
A single kilogram of aluminum takes about 15 kWh/kg of energy to produce. While this energy is quite a lot a recycled can can take upto 95% energy less to be made again!
Good news is that in general change is happening and about 50% of aluminum is reused. Some countries have gone even further for example Brazil recycled 98.4% of cans in 2014. With over 180 billion cans produced yearly around the world even a single item recycled properly can make a BIG IMPACT!
Many other countries like Japan, Germany and South Korea to name a few are recycling more.
“If it can’t be reduced, reused, repaired, rebuilt, refurbished, refinished, resold, recycled or composted, then it should be restricted, redesigned or removed from production.”
― Pete Seeger
Types of Waste and ways to address the situation
There are several types of waste but it is interesting to note that putting a few categories together we can solve the problem of up to 67% of waste after it cannot be used or recycled anymore.
How?
By composting it. Composting not only adds to the basic needs of human survival but adding the much needed soil, but in the process also locks in several toxic elements through the process.
There are two factors that can drastically make this easier.
- Separate the parts when disposing (example separate plastic sticker from cardboard)
- Urge suppliers / manufacturers to use less recyclable parts in their products
Food Waste in Malaysia
There is excess food waste in Malaysia. Over 16,000 tons are thrown out daily, 45% of solid waste entering land-fills where it decomposes anaerobically releasing methane and carbon dioxide, both greenhouse gasses. Over 44% of this waste comes from households, according to SWCorp Malaysia (Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation). Most landfills in the country are full and less than 15% of them are sanitary. Toxic gases from landfill became a major health issue in Johor last year, poisoning 4000 people, while liquid seeping out from them is polluting rivers up and down the country.. But removing food waste from the waste stream would help solve this problem and is a great opportunity to turn wastes into resources.
The current way we are living, we are constantly over utilizing the resources and polluting the earth at the same time with too much waste.
The current way we live is broken!
It will lead us to have more and more problems either directly or indirectly in our lives. The symptoms of these are apparent in the world – things like climate change, social chaos, food insecurity and more.
Some market-based approaches have tried to deal with food waste but with high energy consumption which severely limits profitability. Unless there is a change in the supply-side of the equation in regards to consumer behavior, food waste will continue to be a mounting issue in Malaysia.
Most of the food waste is vegetable and fruit scraps as well as meat remains that ends up getting chucked into the rubbish bin.
From Food Waste to Compost
What can be done with food waste? One of the best methods of ensuring the waste does not end up in a landfill is to convert it into compost. Compost is organic fertilizer that is applied directly on the soil. So what is considered industrial waste is transformed into a farming resource. When this compost helps boost the production of the soil, the harvest it derives completes the loop in a circular economy.
There are two main methods of composting, cold composting and hot composting. Cold composting requires putting organic matter, including food waste, in a pile or in a bin, and leaving it there for a long period of approximately six months, during which it will break down into compost. It is an easier but slower process.
Hot composting on the other hand is an aerobic process (using oxygen) in which the organic matter composed of greens (nitrogen-rich plants) and browns (carbon-based dead organic matter) is turned regularly and can achieve an ideal temperature of between 55-60 Celsius. Green waste materials include wood chips, corn stalks, leaves and fruit waste. Brown waste materials include garden waste, vegetables scraps, coffee grounds and weeds.
As a social enterprise, Urban Hijau is dedicated to using the principles of permaculture (natural ecological design) to spur a movement in Malaysia towards urban sustainability in food production, waste management and green living.
As part of its permaculture philosophy, Urban Hijau has been consistently producing compost on its site to use as organic fertilizer on the soil as we do not use artificial fertilizer or pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. We often use donated food waste and organic matter such as leaf and grass cuttings as the material at our compost stations onsite, producing compost naturally through the Berkeley Method of hot composting. The compost process normally takes 4 to 8 weeks before it can be ready to use on the soil.
Since its founding, Urban Hijau has received donations of food waste from neighbors and nearby residents and restaurants in TTDI on a weekly basis. To date, we continue to to take food waste and convert it into compost, and continue to consistently process more than one ton of food and other organic waste on a monthly basis.
The need to produce more compost also connects deeply to Malaysia’s over-reliance on synthetic fertilizers. Malaysia currently relies heavily on fertilizer imports. In 2017, 3.3 million tons were imported, mainly to supply the palm oil industry. However successful working models of organic palm oil already exist in Malaysia. Studies have also concluded it is economically viable and there is high demand for sustainable organic-certified palm products in the west. Hence, converting large volumes of food waste into organic fertilizers is a great opportunity for Malaysia to enter this niche market while reducing imports.
Urban Food Waste Management
Urban Hijau is at the forefront of encouraging change of household behavior of urbanites, and we believe that this change can spur a movement towards sustainability. A first point regarding food waste management is to salvage food that is edible before it is thrown away.
According to SWCorp Malaysia, nearly a quarter of the food waste in Malaysia is still edible at the point of it being discarded. Creating a culture of ensuring all food on your plate is eaten is not just showing gratitude for your meal but also an appreciation for the social cost of the environment for its disposal. Categorizing food waste into categories of ‘necessary’ and ‘usable’ can be an easy way to separate what can be recycled.
Unsold surplus food from grocery markets should be systematically taken aside and distributed to those families at greatest risk. Situations such as the recent pandemic have underlined the need for ensuring all populations receive necessary supplies to prevent hunger as a social issue.
The next step for urbanites to manage their own food waste is to set a household target for how much waste they would like to salvage rather than send in the dumpster. At Urban Hijau, we encourage people to follow a ‘10%’ principle based on the advice of permaculture founder Bill Mollison. So setting an initial benchmark of 10% of your food waste to be salvaged is a positive first step. It requires a slight culture change in the kitchen and after a meal to take portions of your food remains and put them aside.
One of the reasons we encourage urban farming practices for urban residents is because they can complete their own waste management loop at home. Food waste can be immediately put in a sealed compost bin, along with some sawdust to neutralize any odour and facilitate decomposition. The compost process can take longer than usual depending on the mass and volume of food waste being composted. The final product may resemble black clump-like matter but it can be used directly on the soil. Those who are growing their own indoor or outdoor plants can apply this compost directly on the soil.
If the entire process of creating compost is too tedious for those time-crunched urbanites, then we would encourage them to donate their food waste on a weekly basis to a local urban farm.
While the above methods may work on a smaller scale for home units, for larger sites it is important to explore more aggressive ways to create compost. This is because of the need to maintain a larger capacity to accommodate green and brown waste from many residents as well as local restaurants and even municipal waste management authorities. One of the most effective methods is using the Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL).
BSFL can rapidly decompose the full range of domestic food wastes in only 5 to 7 days. BSF is a species of non-disease transmitting fly. Its larvae convert wastes into high-value frass and larval protein. Frass can be used as a fertilizer itself or as a feedstock for vermiculture. BSFL protein and oil are ideal inputs for poultry and aquaculture feeds. BSFL frass has a favourable nutrient profile: 2-4% Nitrogen, 1% Phosphorous and 2-3% Potassium dry weight. It also contains micronutrients and beneficial microbes which boosts plant immunity and enhances soil quality.