Composting Technology

MBPJ made a trip to MPSJ last week witnessing the operation of their Food Waste Composting Centre at USJ 1. It was a fruitful trip to learn the modus operandi of the waste composting programme. The machines are running below capacity now as 100 odd participating hawker stalls from 4 food courts cannot provide sufficient waste for processing. This, perhaps is a good sign as many might have reduced the food waste or started some recycling exercise at source.

Application of technology for waste composting is never a cheap affair. The cost benefit analysis showed that return on investment is not feasible as time for capital recovery is too long. It is simply not a good business investment in the short term. In longer term with the exhaustion of resources and scarcity of land as well as higher cost of operation, it is a choice that worth to explore. Having said this, social responsibility of MBPJ in ensuring a quality living environment is compelling MBPJ to explore various ways of solving the solid waste problem, even with an escalating cost.

One of the lessons learnt is the cooperation and participation of the stakeholders. Without full commitment of the waste generators, and in this case the hawkers, the composting exercise will not become easy, and at time costly. We need the hawkers to separate the waste at source and to bring their individual waste to the collection point at specific time. More than often, due to careless and "tiada apa" attitude, the waste is mixed with non organic matters that are not compost able. This will further require workers to source and separate the waste. We need the transporters to carry the waste to the composting centre on time and with care towards the environment. We need the workers to conduct the composting with due diligence and to pack the produce professionally. We need to ensure that end products are used. These processes require coordination and cooperation. With the lag back attitude of Malaysian and lack of urgency in maintenance culture, I presume plenty of capacity building programmes and continue motivation are up most important.