swmc_ci_creating awareness and public participation on recycling among hawkers in subang jaya

7/28/2019 SWMC_CI_Creating Awareness and Public Participation on Recycling Among Hawkers in Subang Jaya

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Creating Awareness and PublicParticipation on recycling among

Hawkers in Subang J aya

SOURCE SEPARATION OF

FOOD WASTE - TURNING WASTE INTO COMPOST

Majlis PerbadananSubang J aya


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DANIDA Danish International Development Assistance

JPSPN J abatan Pengurusan Sisa Pepejal Negara(Department of National Solid Waste Management)

MHLG Ministry of Housing and Local Government

MPSJ Majlis Perbandaran Subang J aya (Subang J aya Municipal Council)

NGOs Non - Governmental Organisations

NSP National Strategic Plan

MARDI Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute

Abbreviations and Acronyms

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Dato A dnan bin Hj. Md Ikshan

Yang DipertuaSUBANG J AYA MUNICIPAL COUNCIL

Foreword

Assalammualaikum and greetings,

The food waste segregation programme for public food courts in Subang J aya is one of theinitiatives taken by Subang J aya Municipal Council (MPSJ ) to increase public participationin sustainable solid waste management. Food waste is the largest component of our solidwaste. Achieving high recycling rates for our waste therefore, cannot be done withoutinvolving food waste. Making high quality recycled products from food waste, however,require segregation at source to avoid contamination of the materials. It is therefore,

impossible to achieve high recycling rates without the active participation of the wastegenerators which practically means all of us.

Due to the flourishing eating-out culture in Malaysia, the council decided to establish a pilot programme forcollection of food waste from selected food courts, i.e. USJ 7 Food Court, SS 13 Food Court, USJ SS 15 FoodCourt, PJ S 11 Food Court and J USCO Bandar Sunway Food Court. The hawkers were briefed and trained tosegregate food wastes from the overall bulk of waste generated from their premises. Subsequently, the wasteswere collected and brought to the Food Waste Composting Centre which the Council has established at USJ 1.After 6 months, 21 tonnes of food waste were collected and processed to compost before being used for

landscaping at MPSJ areas. This programme is very successful. The support and commitment from the hawkers have been very encouraging.If we all work together, many more can be achieved. Based on the experience and achievements from this project,MPSJ is committed to continue and expand our effort in this field.

It is our hope that other Local Authorities, associations, businesses, Non - Governmental Organisations (NGOs)and individuals may be able to use the experience learnt from this programme to enhance segregation of waste atsource for recycling.

I would like to extend my deepest thanks and appreciation to all parties involved in this project, especially theDanish International Development Assistance (DANIDA) who has assisted the Council in funding the programme,the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (MHLG), the Public Food Court Hawker Associations, J USCOBandar Sunway, the Resident Associations involved, the committed staff of the Council and those who wereinvolved directly or indirectly in making this project a success.

Thank You.

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DATO NADZRI BIN YAHAYA, Ph.DDirector GeneralDepartment of National Solid Waste ManagementMinistry of Housing and Local Government

Message

Public participation and awareness are instrumental for improving the way we deal with ourwaste today. Waste reduction and recycling can only be successful if the authorities, theprivate sector and the public work together in unity for the better of the society.

In 2005, the Government of Denmark through the Danish International DevelopmentAssistance (DANIDA) agreed with the Government of Malaysia to establish a fund to supportLocal Authorities, who were committed to carry out such initiatives to increase public participa-tion and awareness in solid waste management on the local level.

The fund was subsequently established in 2006, and the local authorities were requested to submit proposals forfunding. The response from the Local Authorities was overwhelming and very encouraging. It was not easy for theMinistry and DANIDA to select the 10 initiatives, among the large number of interesting and promising ideas, whichcould be financed within the budgetary limits. The strong response is a clear demonstration of the commitment andenthusiasm towards saving resources and protecting the environment that exists in many Local Authorities andcommunities.

The initiatives selected include a very broad range of activities involving many parts of the society, includingresidents, school children, hotels, restaurants, hawkers, tourists to mention a few. And the ranges of subjects aresimilarly broad including waste reduction, recycling, home composting, bulky waste management and cleanliness.

The fund has now come to an end, and it is time to sum up the experience and the lessons learned. Through aseries of booklets, each initiative is presented and the experience and lessons learned are documented. It is my hope that the booklets will act as inspiration for others. The booklets are made not only to facilitatereplication of the initiatives, but is also hoped that the booklets will inspire residents, communities and businessesto come up with different and new ideas to further increase the involvement of the society and the hope for a brighterfuture for all of us.

The present booklet presents one of the successful community initiatives Creating Awareness andParticipation in Recycling among Hawkers in Subang J aya.


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Background

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Municipal solid waste in Malaysia contains a high amount of organic matters, particularly food waste. The NationalStrategic Plan (NSP) for Solid Waste Management estimates that about 45% of the municipal waste are food waste,followed by other components such as papers, plastics, metals, etc. This figure has been reported 1 to reach evenhigher levels at nearly 70% when the waste arrives at the disposal site due to the separation of other recyclablesfrom the waste and the lack of food waste recovery in Malaysia. Most food waste are disposed of at the disposal site.

Food waste can be converted into useful materials such as soil conditioner or fertiliser if it is source-sorted andhereby, avoiding contamination from other waste materials. However, except some food waste collected fromeateries by farmers for animal feed, source separation of food waste for recycling is not commonly practised inMalaysia due to various constraints. These constraints include low awareness among the waste generators and lowdemand of the products produced from the food waste such as the composts.

MPSJ has recognised the importance of promoting food waste recycling in order to increase the overall recyclingrate, save resources and divert solid waste from entering the disposal sites where it constitutes a financial burdenand gives rise to environmental impacts.

Due to the eating-out habits of Malaysians, significant amount of food waste are being generated from hawkercentres. As an initiative to kick off the food waste recycling activities in Subang J aya, MPSJ decided to selecthawker centres for a pilot project. Before the project, only a few hawkers segregated the food for collection byfarmers, while most of the food waste were mixed and disposed of at J eram landfill which is located approximately45km away from Subang J aya.

A total of 4 hawker centres with approximately 100 hawker stalls, estimated to generate about 500kg of food wastedaily, were selected for participation in the project.

The project is a part of the Community Initiatives Programme initiatedby the Department of National Solid Waste Management (J PSPN)and DANIDA. The programme supports initiatives on communityparticipation in solid waste management in 10 Local Authoritiesaround Peninsular Malaysia.

This booklet aims to share the experiences gained from this CommunityInitiative project in MP SJ , including cost-benefit assessment of theselected setup of the food waste composting activities.

1. Mohd Nazeri Salleh and Mohd Nasir Hassan (2005). Physical and Chemical Characteristics of SolidWaste Disposed at Taman Beringin Landfill, Kuala Lumpur. Faculty of Environmental Studies, UniversitiPutra Malaysia (UPM).


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COMPOSTING AND ITS BENEFITSMPSJ chose composting as the method of recycling of the food waste.

Composting is a process where the organic materials are transformed

into compost via a process of controlled biological decomposition by

microorganisms under the presence of oxygen. Alternatively,

fermentation could have been selected. In such case, no oxygen is

involved and biogas is produced in the addition to the compost.

Like any other recycling methods, composting of food wastes, garden

wastes and other organic wastes can help to reduce the amount of solid

wastes for disposal, thereby, reducing the disposal costs, prolonging the

lifespan of the disposal sites and minimising the environmental impacts.

Food waste is the main contributor to greenhouse gas (methane)

emission at landfills and is the main contributor to leachate formation due

to the high humidity of the waste. It further contaminates other recyclables

and complicates their separation from the waste stream. Compost is also

a valuable product that can be used as fertiliser or soil conditioner in

farming, gardening, parks and landscaping activities.

Many composting techniques are available for converting the organic

waste into compost. The advanced in-vessel, high speed composting

method, using effective microorganisms under controlled high

temperature was chosen for this Community Initiative to ensure effective

composting within the possible shortest period.

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S BENEFITSethod of recycling of the food waste.

the organic materials are trans ormed

ontrolled biological decomposition by

resence of oxygen. Alternatively,

elected. In such case, no oxygen is

the addition to the compost.

, composting of food wastes, garden

can help to reduce the amount o solid

cing the disposal costs, prolonging the

minimising the environmental impacts.

butor to greenhouse gas methane

in contributor to leachate formation due

urther contaminates other recyclables

ste stream. Compost is alsorom the wa

tiliser or soil conditioner insed as e

tivities.scaping a

or converting the organicavailable

el, high speed compostinged in-vess

under controlled highoorganism

Initiative to ensure effectiveommunity

.rtest perio

Composting is an acceleratedprocess of natural decomposition of organic matters into compost by

microorganisms, mainly bacteriaand fungi under the presenceof oxygen.

Compost is an organic materialthat can be used as soil conditioner(medium to grow plants) and fertilizer.

Compost contains nitrogen, phosphate,sulphur, potash and smaller

but useful amounts of other minerals;all of which help to improve plantgrowth and yield.

Compost contains beneficialmicroorganisms that can suppressplant diseases and pests.

Compost can be used to remediatecontaminated sites.

KEY FACTSABOUT

COMPOSTING


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The Project Design and Implementation

In February 2008, MPSJ has proposed the project to MHLG for approval under the DANIDA financed Solid WasteCommunity Initiative Fund. The project was approved by the Fund in April 2008. The one-year project wascommenced in May 2008 and completed in April 2009. The total budget for the initiative was RM 375,000 of which RM180,000 was derived from the Community Initiatives Fund and RM195,000 from in-kind contributionsfrom the MPSJ .

The objectives of the project were: To create awareness among the hawker centres on proper solid waste management To encourage participation of the hawkers in solid waste management by segregating the waste To establish an effective collection of segregated food waste from the individual hawker stalls to a centralized

composting facility To turn the organic food waste into useful compost To gain experience in setting up such system and disseminate experience gained to others

4 hawker centres in Subang J aya with approximately 100 hawkers were selected: Hawker Centre in USJ 7

Hawker Centre in PJ S 11 Hawker Centre in SS 13 Hawker Centre in SS 15

The selection was based on the expectation that 5kg food waste could be collected in average from each hawkerdaily. The 4 centres should therefore, be able to supply a total of 500kg of food waste every day.

The project was carried out in 3 separate stages:

1. Planning Stage to decide which hawker centres to be involved; which composting technique to be applied;which capacity the composting facility should have; how to create awareness; how much budget is required;how to set up the taskforce and to conduct pre-visits to the selected hawker centres to determine location of bins, etc.

2. Implementation to implement the planned activities; set-up the composting facility; carry out awarenesscreation; undertake trial run and actual operation of the collection system, conduct data collection, etc.

3. Monitoring/Evaluation to monitor, conduct post project surveys, analyse and assess the findings.


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Prepare and submit ProjectProposal to MHLG

Evaluate and Review Results forReplication

Separate and Collect Food Wasteat Hawker Centres

Transfer Food Waste to FoodWaste Composting Facility

Approved Project Proposed byMHLG and Secured Funding from

DANIDA- Community Initiatives

Establish a Taskforce Commitee

PrepareAwareness-

Creation

Produce Compost or Soil

Conduct Survey

Set Up of FoodWaste C omposting

Facility

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION FLOW

The process plan of the entire design of the community Initiative Project is as shown below:


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PLANNINGESTABLISHING A TASKFORCELed by MPSJ , a taskforce was established on 27 May 2008 comprising of representatives from the participating hawkercentres, resident associations and the waste contractors. The taskforce served as a platform for planning, coordinationand decision making for the project. Taskforce meetings were held periodically throughout the project duration to discussany issues of concern and to decide on corrective action required to ensure effective implementation of the project.

CREATING AWARENESSHawker centres were targeted as waste generators for this initiative.As awareness is crucial for motivating the hawkers to segregatetheir food waste as part of their daily routines, it was vital to workclosely with the hawkers from the beginning of the project.

To achieve this, MPSJ conducted briefing sessions about the projectat all respective hawker centres. The briefing included explanationon the project objectives, the benefits of the project and theexpectations on the participation of the hawkers to segregate theirfood waste.

In addition to the talks conducted at the respective hawker centres,another awareness talk was conducted at MPSJ office. The eventwas attended by a total of 33 hawkers from the 4 selectedhawker-centres. The hawkers reacted enthusiasticly towards theproject and agreed to participate. A briefing was also given at the

composting facility to show the actual composting process to theparticipating hawkers.

Educational pamphlets were prepared by MPSJ and distributedduring the talk. The pamphlets served as an educational tool and asa reference to the hawkers about the project implementation.

MPSJ Coordinates and monitors the overall

implementation of the project Chairs the taskforce committee and ensures that all

inputs from the stakeholders are included in thedecision-making

Establishes recording of segregated food wastethroughout the duration of the project

Operates the composting centre Prepares and submits progress reports to DANIDA Documents the implementation throughout the project

for dissemination

HAWKERS Participate actively in the project by segregating the

food wastes at source, following the instructions given

RESIDENT ASSOCIATIONS Informs the nearby residents about the food waste

composting initiative Assists MPSJ in creating awareness and disseminaing

the awareness materials (brochures) about the project

WASTE CONTRACTOR Collects segregated food wastes from the participating

hawker centers and send to the centralisedcomposting facility

STAKEHOLDERS& THEIR ROLES


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Waste Bin at Individual Hawker Stall

Communal Waste Bin

SETTING UP OF FOOD WASTE SEPARATIONAND COMPOSTING FACILITIES

The selection of hawker centres for the project was proposed by MPSJand endorsed by the taskforce. The selection was made based on logisticconsiderations, especially the distance between the centres to ease the collectionand distance to the composting site.

Each hawker centre was visited to find the right place for the 30-litre food waste binsat each individual hawker stall. The visit was also aimed to find the location to placethe 1,000-litre communal bin where the food waste from individual bins shall betransferred by the hawkers.

Individual waste bins and communal bins were subsequently procured and placedat the respective hawker centres. A collection schedule for the food waste at eachhawker centre was also determined. The food waste was transferred from theindividual stalls to the communal bin by the individual hawkers. Transfer of the foodwaste from the communal bin to the composting facility was done by the appointedwaste contractor on the next morning before the operation of the hawkercentre started.

The taskforce decided to locate the composting facility at an existing waste storage area in USJ 1/33 at Subang J aya. Advanced in-vessel high-speed composting technology using effective microorganism at high temperaturewas opted for the project instead of conventional composting. The in-vessel high-speed composting system wasdeemed appropriate for this project because it requires very little space and is able to produce compost within veryshort duration (24-48 hours).

Besides this, the system has better control of bad odour and requiresonly minimal labour. All these are factors that suit the requirements inurban areas such as MPSJ . The composting facility is a small40-metre square roofed structure with electricity and water supply,a requirement for the composting machines. The facility was equippedwith 2 units of in-vessel composting machines, each with a capacity of

250kg/day and has additional space for the preparation of food wastebefore feeding into the machines.

In Vessel Composting machine


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IMPLEMENTATION TRIAL RUNA one-month trial run of the system was conducted on 1 November 2008. The main objective of the trial runwas to identify any part of the system that would require corrective measures to ensure effective operation of the system.

On 7 November 2008, another round of awareness talks was conducted at each hawker centre. The talks were,however, attended by only 15 hawkers.

Posters were put up at the hawker centres to provide further guidance to the hawkers on the stepby-step processof segregation, collection and composting.

During the trial period, some challenges were realised:

One complaint was received from a shop, neighbouring thecomposting facility about bad odour from the facility.

Oil and grease were discharged from the composting machines to

the drains. Some of the food waste received at the composting facility were

still mixed with non-food waste materials such as straws, spoonsand plastic bags.

Smaller amounts of food waste was collected from the selectedhawker centres than expected. It was recorded that the wastereceived during the trial run was only about 50kg/day ascompared to the expected 500kg/day. This was mainly due to

the overestimation of the amount of food waste as well as lowparticipation from the hawkers.

Cleaning and washing of the composting facility after each batch of food waste was loaded into themachines was introduced to ensure cleanliness and to avoid bad odour.

A simple process of manual drainage of excess water from the food waste buckets before loading it to thecomposting machine was introduced at the composting facility to improve the structure of the waste andavoid discharge of oil and grease from the machines.

As a response to the findings from the trial period, the taskforcesubsequently took the following actions to overcome the challenges:


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A simple sorting process was introduced at the composting facility for the workers to pick up any non-foodwaste from the received food waste before loading it to the composting machine. This process is important toprevent damage to the composting machines and to ensure the quality of the compost.

Oil and grease traps with screen were established at the composting facility to avoid the food residues and theoil and grease generated during the sorting of the food waste from entering the drains. This prevented the badodour caused by food residues and oil and grease trapped in the drain from reoccurring.

Follow-up awareness talks to the hawker centres were conducted to increase participation.

Simple sorting of food waste before loading into the machines

Cleaning after Operation

Grease Trap Installed at the Site

Composting facility at USJ1


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OPERATION OF THE FOOD WASTE SYSTEMFull scale operation of the food waste system was commenced after one month of trial run and after all the correctivemeasures had been implemented. The composting machines were able to treat a maximum of 500kg food wastes each day.

The segregation of food waste at the hawker centres took place all day from the morning when the hawkers started toprepare the food. More food waste were generated throughout the day, mainly from the food residues left by the customers.

The hawkers transferred the food waste to the communal bin whenever the individual bins were full. Since the operation

of most of the participating hawker centres continued through the evening, the collection of food waste from thecommunal bin was only done early in the next morning, before operation of the centre started.

The waste contractor emptied the communal bin from all participating hawker centres in one trip to save transportationcost and delivered the collected food waste to the composting facility at around 10.00am. Once the food waste arrived atthe facility, the workers would drain excess water from the food waste and carry out simple sorting of the waste to pickup any non-food items before the waste were loaded into the composting machines.

Sawdust was added to the composting process as bulking agent in order to improve the structure and the compostingprocess. Approximately 1kg of saw dust was added to every 5kg of raw food waste.

The machines processed the waste automatically under high temperature (60-70 degree Celsius) with the help of effective microorganisms added to the machine and transformed it into useful compost after 24-48 hours. As the compostquality after 48 hours was found to be better in terms of moisture content and maturity of operation, decision was madeto process the waste for 24 hours only on Monday-Friday and process the food waste arriving on Saturday for additional24 hours over Sunday when the hawker centres were not in operation.

Loading the waste into the Machine Quality of compost produced


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USE OF COMPOST FROM FOOD WASTE The compost produced was used by the Landscape Department of MPSJ for maintaining their parks and landscapes.Apart from internal use, MPSJ also packed the composts and distributed it for free to the participating hawkers as anincentive as well as distributed to the public during road shows and promotional programmes.

The compost produced from the food waste (left) and application for gardening / flowering by the MPSJ Landscape Department (right)

Composting machineprocesses the foodwaste into compostwithin 24-48 hours

Contractor collectsand transports the

food waste to USJ 1Composting Facility

Hawkers transfer theirfood waste to a

communal waste bin

Hawkers separatefood waste anddispose of it into

special waste bins

Hawkers generate foodwaste from food

preparation and consumption

MPSJ uses the compost forparks and landscapes and

distributes it to the hawkersfor gardening

Compost returns to nature asnutrients for plant growth and yield

which in turn, are used as rawingredients in food preparation

THE OVERALL OPERATION OF THE COMPOSTING PROGRAMME

The overall workflow of the operation is illustrated as below:


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OUTREACH AND PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES To increase the participation of the hawkers in the food waste segregation, MPSJ has organised a series of sitevisits to the composting facility for the representatives of USJ 7 and SS 13 hawker centres. The visits enabled thehawkers to fully understand the system and the outcome of their efforts to segregate food waste at source. Torecognise the hawkers contributions to the project, compost was distributed to the hawkers as a reward.

Furthermore, MP SJ organised a special open-day event at the composting facility in conjunction with the Recyclingand Environment Day celebration on 8 J uly 2009. The event was opened for all and was attended by both thepublic and the hawkers who have participated in the community initiative project. During the opening ceremony, theMayor of MPSJ has explained the problems of traditional food waste disposal at disposal sites and highlighted theobjectives of the community initiative project turning food waste into useful resources.

MPSJ also produced a video on the project to provide visualised information to any interested party oncomposting of food waste. The video showcases the various stages of the project starting from segregation,transportation, screening and processing of food waste until packaging and usage of the composts. In addition, awebsite was also created to publicise the project, to maintain the on-going support from the hawkers as well as to

disseminate experience learnt about composting of food waste.


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MONITORING AND EVALUATIONPARTICIPATION OF HAWKERSAs described above, the participation of the hawkers was observed to be rather low during the trial period. After thetrial period, the task force therefore, has carried out the described series of awareness activities to encourage theparticipation of hawkers.

The face- to- face visits to the hawkers and the visit by hawkers to the composting facility were found to be mosteffective. The distribution of final compost to the hawkers was also very successful. It clearly demonstrated thevalue and outcome of their efforts to them.

The efforts were rewarded with a considerable increase in participation from the hawkers. The increase in foodwaste collected from the 4 hawker centres, especially over the last 2 months of the pilot project period (graph below)is a concrete indication of the improved participation rate. This indicates that the continuous awareness andoutreach programmes were effective in encouraging more participation.

The achieved participation of hawkers in the segregation of food waste was one of the most important successes

of this pilot project.

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he a - - ace visits to the hawkers and the visit by hawkers to the composting acility were ound to beective. The distribution o inal compost to the hawkers was also very success ul. It clearly demonstrated

alue and outcome of their efforts to them.

he e orts were rewarded with a considerable increase in rtic pation rom the hawkers. The increase inaste collected rom the 4 hawker centres, especially over the last 2 months o the pilot proect period graph bea concrete indication o the improved participation rate. This indicates that the continuous awareness

utreach programmes were e ective in encouraging more participation.

he achieved participation o hawkers in the segregation o ood waste was one o the most important succe

this pilot proect.

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

Nov 08 Dec 08 J an 09 Feb 09 March 09 Apr 09

MONTHS

A M O U N T O F W A S T E C O L L E C T E D ( K g

/ M o n

t h )

AMOUNT OF FOOD WASTECOLLECTED (Kg/ Month) FROM 4 HAWKERS (NOV 08 - APR 09)

Amo unt of Foo d Waste Co llec ted at t he sel ected 4 h awker c entr es


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QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEYA questionnaire survey on the participation of the hawkers was carried out by MPSJ after 6 months of operation toassess the effectiveness of the project. A total of 26 hawkers from the 4 participating hawker centres were selectedon a random basis for the survey. The survey gave insight in the hawkers ideas on food waste segregation andcomposting and provided information to MPSJ on further awareness activities required if the project were to bereplicated to other potential hawker centres.

The survey showed that 77% of the respondents or 21 hawkers have attended the awareness briefings organisedby MPSJ . Many hawkers claimed that they have benefited from these talks, gaining better understanding of composting and its benefits to the environment.

92% of the hawkers interviewed believed that food waste separation at source and composting are beneficial to theenvironment. They expressed that the segregation was not considered a burden to them because the selectedmethod of food waste segregation was easy to follow. The hawkers also showed positive feedback and high interestin the composts produced from the segregated food waste.

The survey documented the reasons for the hawkers to participate in the initiative as illustrated in chart below:

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SJ . Many hawkers claimed that they have bene ited rom these talks, gaining better understasting and its benefits to the environment.

the hawkers interviewed believed that ood waste separation at source and composting are bene iciment. They expressed that the segregation was not considered a burden to them because the sof food waste segregation was easy to follow. The hawkers also showed positive feedback and high

omposts produced rom the segregated ood waste.

rv documented the reasons or the hawkers to artici te in the initiative as illustrated in chart bel

Reasons for Participating by Hawkers in Composting in Subang Jaya (in Percentage of Respondents)

14OTHER

REASON

43ENVIRONMENTAL

PURPOSE29INFLUENCEDBY OTHER

14WASTE

REDUCTION


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FOOD WASTE COLLECTED

COMPOST PRODUCED

9000

8000

7000

60005000

4000

3000

2000

1000

Nov Dec J an Feb Mac Apr0

COLLECTION OF FOOD WASTE AND PRODUCTION OF COMPOSTDuring the period from November 2008 to February 2009, the volume of food waste collected from the hawker centresbecame a concern to the project. 6 tonnes of food waste or around 50 kg/day were received. Over-estimation of the foodwaste generation at the hawker centres proved to be the main reason for the low collection rate. It was found that somehawker stalls were not in operation and some did not generate any significant amount of food waste as they are onlyselling beverages. Increase in participation from the hawkers would therefore, not be sufficient to fully utilise the capacityof the composting machines.

In addition to the continuous efforts to increase participation from the hawkers, the taskforce therefore, decided to includefood waste from other sources. MPSJ approached the hypermart (J usco Bandar Sunway) in view that the food courts inthe hypermart generate significant amount of food waste every day. J usco Bandar Sunway was positive towardsparticipating and bins were subsequently provided to them by MPSJ . The involvement of the hypermart in the projectfrom March 2009 has significantly increased the food waste amount received, reaching about 90% to 100% of thecapacity of the composting machines from March and April 2009.

Since the operation of the food waste composting facility from November 2008 until April 2009, a total of 21 tonnes of

food waste have been collected from the 4 hawker centres and J usco Bandar Sunway, resulting in about 15 tonnes(including saw dust input) of composts being produced (see graph below). The volume of food waste was on average,reduced by approximately 50% after the composting process.

PERIOD

A M O U N T ( T o n n e s )

Volume of Food Waste Collected and Compost Produced, November 2008 - April 2009


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Nitrogen (N) Potash (K2O) Phosphate (P 2O6) Magnesium Oxide (MgO) Calcium oxi de (CaO)

1.95 0.66 1.12 0.11 1.56

Project Costs Unit Total

A) Tot al Capi tal Co st s 2 machines of 250kg capacity each RM156,800.00

Grease trap RM3,500.00

Bins for collection RM6,600.00

Operational Costs1) Electricity RM1,428.81 X 6 month RM8,572.90

2) Water RM40.30 X 6 month RM241.80

3) Usage of Microbe RM500.00 X 4 times RM2,000.00

4) Contractor Service RM1,300.00 X 6 month RM7,800.00

B) Total operational costs RM18,614.70

C) Indirect Costs

1) MPSJ Workers Insignificant Insignificant

2) Packaging Costs Insignificant Insignificant

QUALITY OF THE COMPOSTSamples of the compost produced were tested at a laboratory. The nutrient content appeared to be good, with high levelsof nitrogen, phosphate and calcium oxide as compared to typical compost (summarised in table below). It is anindication that the compost may be used as fertilizer supplement in addition to the use as soil-conditioner for landscapingand gardening.

ASSESSMENT OF COST AND BENEFITSAn assessment of the cost and revenue of the project was carried out towards the completion of this pilot project.

The details of the capital expenditure, operating expenditure and revenue (cost savings) are outlined in the table below.

The major capital outlay for the project was the 2 high-speed composting machines.

The major operating expenses were electricity and the transport cost from the hawker centres to the composting facility.

The main cost savings were savings on transportation costs for waste to disposal, landfill tipping fees and the savingsfrom purchasing chemical fertilisers.

Nutrient Content of MPSJs Compost

Cost-Benefit Analysis of MPSJs Community Food Waste Composting Project,November 2008 to April 2009

Note: a) Electricity and water consumptions are based on actual billsb) Assumption to top up microbe 2 times over 6 months of 1kg for each machine


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Project Benefits Unit Total

A) Cos t Savi ngs

1) Waste Tipping Fees RM45.00 X 20.8 tonnes RM935.00

2) Waste Collection Costs RM1,950.00 X 6 month RM11,700.00

3) Cost of Compost RM500.00 X 14.9 tonnes RM7,450.00

Total RM20,085.00

Indirect Benefits

1) Saving of EnvironmentalDamage cost - Contamination of Land

- Leachate Treatment Cost Not Accounted

- Human Health Risk

- Greenhouse Gases Emission

2) Creation of Awareness- Among the Hawkers

Not Accounted

Not Accounted

Not Accounted

Note: a) The waste collection fee is assumed to be 50% more as compared to the collection done to bring the waste to the

composting site due to the travelling distances (normal disposal to Jeram Landfill)b) The tipping fee refers to the gate fee of entering Jeram Landfillc) The cost of typical c ompost used here was provided by MBSJ based on current market price for c ompost of lower

fertilising value. Thus, the actual value of the food waste derived compost is expected to be higher. The savings of chemical fertiliser which is in used now is also not accounted for here.

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llection fee is assumed to be 50% more as compared to the collection done to bring the waste to the

ite due to the travelling distances (normal disposal to Jeram Landfill)e refers to the gate fee of entering Jeram Landfillpical compost used here was provided by MBSJ based on current market price for compost of lower e. Thus, the actual value of the food waste derived compost is expected to be higher. The savings of

iliser which is in used now is also not accounted for here.

From a commercial point of view, the high capital and operating cost for the selected technically advanced in-vesselhigh-speed solution renders the system economically non-viable. However, the system may still require lower financialsupport than the alternative collection and disposal costs for traditional waste disposal, implying that the solution still mayconstitute an economically attractive option for the solid waste management system. The costs may further be reducedin the future. The main operating costs for the system were the electricity consumption and the transportation cost. Thesecosts might be reduced with the improvement of energy efficiency as well as the optimisation of transportation of waste.

The selected in-vessel high-speed composting process allows very short composting time and very small landrequirements and is therefore, suitable for congested areas where space constraint is a major barrier. In most caseswhere reasonable access to space is possible, traditional composting techniques with less capital and operating costswould probably be applied.


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Benefits, Challenges and Key Lessons Learnt

BENEFITS The main impact of this project is the documentation that awareness among hawkers on the need for sourcesegregation and recycling can easily be established. This is a very important and very positive message for allfuture recycling initiatives, targeting small scale businesses.

The participants were not only made aware of the potential of waste recycling, but also experienced it hands-onthrough the participation in the process. Evidently, the steady increase of food waste received from the hawkercentres correlates to the level of awareness and support from the hawkers.

The environmental benefits include: Avoided environmental degradation by the reduced use of landfill space, reduced greenhouse gas emission

and leachate formation, reduced human health risk and so forth. The use of compost reduces the usage of chemical fertiliser which saves resources and further reduces

environmental degradation.

Overall, the initiative has been very successful. As the first community initiative to turn hawker food waste into useful

compost, the project has already recorded success in demonstrating that such system can be applied and thatstrong support and participation from the hawkers and other stakeholders may be established.

However, as indicated above, the decision on the technical design of such system should also consider the differenttechnology options that would influence the costs and revenues of the system.


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INCENTIVES TO INCULCATE FOOD WASTE SEGREGATION AT SOURCE Segregation of food waste to become a routine for the hawkers is crucial for the success of the project. Besidesorganising awareness activities to stir interest, possible incentives may be awarded to ensure participation. Givingaway free compost and gardening kits to participating hawkers can be an effective way of sustaining their interestin practising food waste segregation and encouraging them to practise gardening, towards healthy lifestyle.

SCREENING AND PROCESSING OF FOOD WASTEDuring the operation, some food wastes received at the composting facility were found to be mixed with non-foodwaste materials such as fork and spoons, straws, chopsticks, etc. By simple screening processes, it has beenpossible to manually sort out these materials. Further, it was found that the food waste contains very high moistureand oil content. It is therefore, recommended that the food wastes should be drained before being fed in to thecomposting machines to reduce the liquid load to the machines. Oil and grease trap should be installed to cater forthe water drained of.

According to the machines specification, food waste can be processed into compost within 24 to 48 hoursdepending on the waste composition. However, the actual operation shows that 48 hours is the optimum processduration for producing better qualities of more matured composts.

ALTERNATIVE METHOD FOR COMPOSTINGIn this project, the composting was done using advanced in-vessel high-speed composting machine which utilisesmechanical turning and temperature control. This method requires very short time to achieve composting but itrequires high investment and operating costs, i.e. energy (electricity). There are other alternatives available whichcan be considered such as conventional windrow, aerated chamber composting and bin composting methods.

These conventional methods imply less capital costs and consume less energy. They do, however, require longercomposting period and have larger land requirements. Windrow composting in particular, requires large space orland to carry out the composting process. Detailed comparison of the pros and cons of these alternativecomposting methods will depend on the local conditions.

CHALLENGES AND KEY LESSONS LEARNT The project has overcome a number of challenges. They are discussed as follow:


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Sustaining the Project

MPSJ is determined to sustain the initiative and replicate the food waste composting system for other hawkercentres. Several activities have been carried out by MPSJ to provide the groundwork for replication:

RE SE ARCH AND DEVELOPMENT MP SJ has performed laboratory analyses of the compost quality andis currently collaborating with Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) to enhancethe quality of the composts as well as to undertake other research concerning the compost products.

PROMOTION FOR THE COMPOST MPSJ plans to promote and commercialise the compost to the public,

hoping that it will create public awareness about composting of food waste. The composts can be used asfertiliser or soil conditioner depending on the quality.

GUIDANCE FOR COMP OSTING MP SJ plans to provide information and guidance to the public through massmedia and by initiating a special website dedicated for composting. The website will introduce the public tovarious methods of composting and teach them on how to do composting at home.

ESTABLISH A COMPOSTING CENTRE F OR THE P UBLIC MP SJ also plans to establish a composting

facility which is open to accept food waste from the public. This is mainly aimed to create awareness andencourage the public to drop off their food waste to the composting facility.

In case the revenue gained from the compost produced by MPSJ is not enough to sustain and expand thecomposting system, MPSJ is committed to support the operations by providing manpower and financial support forthe purchase of the microbes for the composting process, maintenance of the composting machines and paying forthe electricity and water bills, etc.

As a long term sustainability plan, MP SJ is planning to construct a centralised recycling centre on a 2-acre landat Lot PT 300, Subang J aya. The proposed plan will integrate the existing composting facility at USJ 1. Morecomposting machines may be set-up at the new site to recycle more food waste from various partsof Subang J aya.


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