Waste

E-waste danger looms

Posted on July 23, 2012. Filed under: Waste |

-New Straits Times-

HEALTH THREAT- Discarded handphones and computers contain heavy metals that can seep into the ground

KUALA LUMPUR: MALAYSIANS’ desire for electronic gadgets, especially handphones, is contributing to rising electronic waste, or e-waste.

The Department of Environment said yesterday that discarded handphones should be recycled to avoid environment-related health complications. There are 37 million registered units.

Hazardous substances division director Datin Paduka Che Asmah Ibrahim said discarded phones, computers and washing machinescontainedlead,mercury and cadmium. “If dumped in landfills, these substances will leach out from

the devices and seep into the ground.” She said this would lead to an increased amount of heavy metals in the soil, which would eventually be exposed to humans.

“If exposed for long periods, these metals can cause learning disabilities in children and damage the lungs, kidneys and liver,” she told the New Straits Times. The local scenario was not as alarming as in developed countries, Che Asmah said, adding that the government was monitoring a household e-waste recycling project in Penang before carrying out the system nationwide.

E-waste is regulated under the Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulations 2005. Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah Embas said last week that the amount of e-waste generated from the industrial sector in 2009 was 134,000 tonnes, or 7.86 per cent of the total waste generated.

In 2010, the amount of e-waste had increased by 17.9 per cent to 163,000 tonnes, or 8.68 per cent of the total waste generated.

The combined e-waste generated by households, businesses and institutions sector was 592,391 tonnes in 2006, 639,493 tonnes in 2007 and 624,143 tonnes in 2008; the annual average generated was 635,030 tonnes.

“Therefore, there is a need for a proper collection, segregation and recycling e-waste system to manage the waste.”

Uggah said his ministry was monitoring the Penang project, which was under the guidance of the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

“The DOE will use the project, which ends in May, as a model before we use the results for a nationwide collection system and policy development.”

In the project, e-waste is collected from appliance shops, handphone shops and hypermarkets and sent to recycling plants.

– New Straits Times

Anti-Lynas groups claim MB eyeing Sg Lembing as waste dump

Posted on March 7, 2012. Filed under: Waste |

The anti-Lynas groups accused Adnan of prioritising the Australian firm’s interest over that of Pahang residents. — File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 — Anti-Lynas groups today alleged that Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob last night suggested dumping Lynas Corp’s radioactive waste into the disused mining shafts of Sungai Lembing.The mentri besar, added the groups in a statement here, had also warned politicians present against taking part in any anti-Lynas activities at the risk of repercussions should Barisan Nasional (BN) retain the state in the coming polls.

The groups said they were “appalled” by Adnan’s suggestion to dump radioactive material in Sungai Lembing, saying this would discourage tourists from visiting the resort town and eventually return it to its past “post-mining doom”.

“The thousands of tourists who visit this lovely town each year will go elsewhere in the presence of a radioactive waste dump.

“Imagine the loss of livelihoods and income for the local people?” Tan Bun Teet from Save Malaysia, Stop Lynas (SMSL) said in the statement.

When contacted, Tan told The Malaysian Insider that Adnan’s suggestion, allegedly made during a dinner in Kantian last night, was reported to the anti-Lynas groups by those who were present at the function.

“We have our moles and informers. These are highly-placed sources,” he said.

Another anti-Lynas activist, Andansura Rabu, said Sungai Lembing was an important water catchment for Kuantan residents and that dumping Lynas’s waste into the area would likely contaminate their water supply.

He also pointed to communities in Balok who live along the river near to Lynas’s rare earth refinery in Gebeng, saying their livelihood would likely be affected if the plant were to fire up operations this year.

“How will they live if their seafood and the sea become polluted?” the Badan Bertindak Anti Rare Earth Refinery (Badar) and Stop Lynas Coalition (SLC) head asked.

“Even if a permanent waste dump is found, what about the 500 tonnes of effluents and 100,000 cubic metre of waste gas that will be discharged into our river and the sea every hour?”

Both Tan and Andansura also accused Adnan as being an “unfit” to lead Pahang for willing to place the needs of the Australia-based mining firm above the health and welfare of the state.

“We are appalled by the MB (Adnan) for making this ludicrous and damaging suggestion.

“Australia will be getting A$18 million (RM55 million) in taxes from Lynas each year… all we will be getting in Pahang are Lynas’s toxic waste and pollution,” they said.

Thousands of anti-Lynas protestors attended an opposition-backed mass rally organised by Himpunan Hijau last weekend in the single largest protest yet against the rare earth refinery that is expected to fire up operations later this year.

Critics of the Lynas refinery want the government to halt its construction and direct the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) to reverse a decision to grant Lynas a temporary operating licence (TOL), which will let it embark on a two-year trial run.

They allege that the Australian miner has not given enough assurances on how it will handle the low-level radioactive waste that will be produced at the refinery.

Despite the pressure, Putrajaya has stood its ground on the project that was first earmarked for Terengganu.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai told the Sin Chew Daily last week that Lynas will have to send the waste back to Australia even though the Western Australian government has said it will not take back the residue from the ore mined from Mount Weld in the state.

But anti-Lynas groups have charged that Malaysia risks breaching international laws if it ships Lynas Corp’s rare earth waste out of the country.

The company has maintained that waste from its planned rare earth refinery in Gebeng will not be hazardous, and that the radioactive residue can be recycled for “commercial applications”.

Where exactly is ‘abroad’, Lynas opponents ask trade minister

Posted on March 7, 2012. Filed under: Waste |

Himpunan Hijau chairman Wong Tack (centre) also asked the minister to provide the names of those who participated in the public consultation. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 — Himpunan Hijau wants Datuk Mustapa Muhamed to reveal the location beyond the borders of Malaysia that would accept Lynas Corp’s purportedly massive amounts of toxic waste should a suitable dumpsite be unavailable domestically.“Where exactly is ‘abroad’?” its chairman Wong Tack asked in a statement today.

“Identify and prove to us which country outside of Malaysia is willing to accept this massive toxic wastes. Tell us which third world country Lynas will invade and pollute next. We want to know the full details,” he added.

Himpunan Hijau is among numerous groups that have emerged in the last year in opposition to the Australian rare earth producer, Lynas Corp, and its RM700 million plant in the country.

Wong was responding to the international trade and industry minister who had previously defended Lynas Corp, saying the Sydney-based firm had sent a letter of undertaking to the government promising to send its rare earth processing residue abroad if it cannot find a suitable waste disposal site in Malaysia.

The anti-Lynas lobbyist also demanded to know how much radioactive waste the miner plans to accumulate as well as the duration that it would be stored for at a temporary dumpsite before it is shipped out.

He claimed in his statement that the proposed local dump is located in an unsuitable swampy area in the Gebeng industrial zone, on the outskirts of coastal Kuantan.

Wong further demanded Mustapa publicly disclose the names and data collection methods of those the federal minister said had been consulted over the project to show that no one had been “manipulated”.

“Mustapa must understand that public consultation and data collection is a science,” he said.

He chastised the minister for rounding on Himpunan Hijau by claiming the group has a “vested interest” in opposing the Lynas project.

Wong countered today that the group’s concerns are due to the federal government’s apparent haste in pushing the project through and riding roughshod over questions from the public, which he said only heightened their alarm over the issue.

He urged the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to launch an investigation into whether improper channels had been used to allow the Australian firm in on a seemingly lopsided deal in its favour.

Council: Make households pay for not recycling

Posted on January 16, 2012. Filed under: Waste |

-The Star-

PUTRAJAYA: Putrajaya Corporation wants private households here to be heavily penalised if they fail to recycle their waste.

Its president Tan Sri Samsudin Osman said the council had increased efforts in motivating the public to recycle waste.

“In the future, we are looking at imposing strict fines for those who do not recycle.

“This is in line with the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Act 2007 (Act 627), which was enforced in September last year.

“We hope to achieve our target of collecting 20% of recycled materials from the total amount of solid waste in five years and become a model of a green and sustainable city,” he said at the Putrajaya Recycling Day here yesterday.

The participation of the public in recycling waste had increased to 22% last year from 10.4% in the year 2010, he said.

Rubbish Woes – Ball Is In Selangor Government’s Court, Says Chor

Posted on January 16, 2012. Filed under: Waste |

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 16 (Bernama) — The federal government will not interfere in the rubbish woes in Selangor as the state government has opted out from the privatisation of solid waste collection and public cleaning.

Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung said Selangor and Penang chose not to join the privatisation when the Solid Waste and Public Cleaning Act 2007 (Act 672) was implemented last year.

“I think this was not the correct thing to do (opt-out from the privatisation of solid waste management), as I have been emphasising that (in matters of) public health and cleanliness, politics should not come into play.

“Now, we can’t do much unless the Selangor government come back to us and joins the scheme. Then, I will have to bring this up to the cabinet to get approval.

“The ball is in the Selangor government’s court,” he told reporters after the ministry monthly assembly here today.

He was asked to comment on complaints by residents in Selangor about irregular rubbish collection following the termination last year of the state government’s contract with Alam Flora Sdn Bhd.

Chor said privatisation of solid waste collection and public cleaning will raise the quality of service because it will encourage selected concessionaire companies to make large-scale investments in the latest technologies, modern machinery and equipment, as well as improving the skills of the workforce.

If all states come under the scheme, he said, there would be uniformity in solid waste management.

Chor said the federal government has to pay an additional RM500 million a year minimum to ensure efficient waste management services.

“The people, irrespective of where they live as long as the state government comes under the scheme of privatization, the Rakyat need not be burden to pay more for the payment of solid waste.

“The people continue to pay the assessment at the usual rate to the local authorities and the balance is borne by the federal government,” he said.

Chor said the National Solid Waste Management Department and the Solid Waste and Public Cleaning Corporation will monitor the performance of works in all states under the scheme.

“If contractors do not carry out rubbish collection, we have the right to deduct payment. That’s why the service is getting better every day since the privatisation,” he said.

Chor said the federal government at first hoped to engage Selangor and Penang to enforce the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleanliness Act but they refused for “whatever reason.”

“The decision to privatise the service was not made overnight. It was decided 13 years ago, and contactors were selected by calling for open tender and they stated doing the job,” he said.

Under the privatisation of solid waste collection and public cleaning, Alam Flora Sdn Bhd will manage the central and east zones comprising the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, as well as Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan.

SWM Environment Sdn Bhd will manage the southern zone covering Johor, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan while Environment Idaman Sdn Bhd will manage the northern zones of Kedah and Perlis.

‘Stop dragging feet on waste privatisation’

Posted on January 14, 2012. Filed under: Waste |

-NST– Chor raps Penang, Selangor govts

SELANGOR and Penang are urged to join the Federal Government in privatising their solid waste collection and public cleaning operations.

Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung said the privatisation should  not be seen as a political gimmick but as an effort by the Federal Government in providing a better environment for the people.

He said that this would also create a better system for waste and disposal management in the country.

“We are not sure why the two states have refused to join us.

“The other opposition state Kelantan is  in the process of joining us.

“This issue should not be politicised as public health must be our priority.

“We need a more uniform system to ensure the cleanliness of our environment,” Chor said at the handing over ceremony of   free garbage bins on wheels to residents of Taman Desa here yesterday.

Chor added that Selangor and Penang had not provided any reason on their refusal to join in the privatisation.

“Maybe they are  paranoid about the Federal Government  introducing something of benefit to the public.

“They should not be too sensitive on this important public health matter.”

The privatisation agreement was signed last September to enable the three selected concessionaire companies to make large scale investments in the latest technology and equipment, as well as a highly skilled work force.

Chor said the garbage bins in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Pahang would be managed by Alam Flora Sdn Bhd while those in Johor, Malacca and Negri Sembilan would be managed by SWM Environment Sdn Bhd, with Perlis and Kedah to be managed by Environment Idaman Sdn Bhd.

He said the distribution of the bins in Kelantan and Perak was still at the planning stage.

Alam Flora chief executive officer Mohd Zain Hassan said the company had so far invested close to RM800 million in getting the bins, new vehicles and other equipment.

The new agreement had brought to an end the uncertain 14-year interim waiting period for the concessionaires.

Appointed concessionaires are distributing 120-litre garbage bins to residents of landed properties, 660-litre bins to apartments and 1,100-litre bins to condominiums.

Chor said the free garbage bins were being distributed in line with the enforcement of the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (Act 672).

The bill was passed in Parliament last year.

Privatise waste management, states advised

Posted on January 14, 2012. Filed under: Waste |

-The Star-

KUALA LUMPUR: Selangor and Penang have been urged to privatise their solid waste management, as had been done by the other states and the Federal Territories in peninsular Malaysia under the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Act.

Perak had also recently agreed to privatise its solid waste management and be regulated by the Act by the end of the year.

Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung urged Selangor and Penang to do so as soon as possible to ensure good public health.

The Act provides for, among others, the separation of wastes, storage, collection, transportation, processing, recycling and disposal.

The Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya as well as Pahang, Kelantan and Terengganu are supervised by Alam Flora Sdn Bhd; Kedah and Perlis by Environment Idaman Sdn Bhd and Johor, Malacca and Negri Sembilan by SWM Environment Sdn Bhd.

“The privatisation of solid waste management will not incur any additional charge for consumers as the Federal Government will bear all the extra costs,” Chor said after presenting mobile bins to residents in Taman Desa here yesterday.

Three million units of mobile bins will be distributed in stages to residents and business owners in all local councils to improve solid waste management efficiency.

Chor said the first phase from Sept 1 involved the distribution of bins to residents under the jurisdiction of Kuala Lumpur City Hall and the various city councils.

“The second phase under the municipal councils will be done by Sept 1 next year and for district councils, from Sept 1, 2014,” he said, adding that all bins came with a cover and were able to prevent leaking from leachate.

Chor said owners of landed properties would get a 120-litre bin each while those who lived in high-rise buildings would be given either a 60-litre or 110-litre bin each and commercial property owners would receive a 240-litre bin each.

Cypark secures new government contract for landfill upgrading

Posted on December 31, 2011. Filed under: Waste |

-Borneo Post Online-

KUCHING: Environmental technology and engineering specialist Cypark Resources Bhd (Cypark), announced yesterday that the company received a Letter of Acceptance from the Ministry of Housing and Local GovernmentHou (KPKT) for the proposed upgrading of the landfill site at Kok Foh, Jempol, Negeri Sembilan worth RM14.7 million.

In a filing with Bursa Malaysia yesterday, Cypark said that the project completion date would be Nov 6, 2012; or 44 weeks from the date of site possession. The contract was expected to contribute positively to the earnings and net assets of Cypark for the financial year ending Oct 30, 2012.

The contract, amongst others, would involve works for the safe closure of one part of the landfill and the upgrading of the other part of the landfill into a sanitary cell.

Tan Sri Razali Ismail, non-independent, non-executive chairman and founder of Cypark, said, “The contract will further strengthen the company’s position as one of Malaysia’s leading specialists in solid waste management and integrated environmental solution.

“This new contract is an addition to the previously awarded contract by KPKT, which is currently being undertaken, for the safe closure and remediation of 16 landfills across the country, four sites out of which are also located in Negeri Sembilan.”

Cypark is primarily an environmental technology and engineering specialist, focusing on areas of integrated renewable energy, waste management, and environmental remediation.

The company has developed expertise and technical know-how to generate renewable energy whereby waste biomass, landfill gas and solar rays from the remediated sites and brown fields are harnessed to produce green energy at Integrated Renewable Energy Parks.

Razali continued, “By upgrading another landfill site at Negeri Sembilan, it clearly shows the State’s resolve in creating a higher standard of living for the population of Negeri Sembilan. We are proud to be able to do our part in cleaning up the environment for the Jempol population, so that they can enjoy a much healthier and less harmful lifestyle.”

Cypark registered a profit after tax of RM5.1 million for the financial quarter ended July 31, 2011 at the back of revenues amounting to RM35.2 million. The company posted a cumulative profit after tax of RM17.9 million or translated earnings per share of 12 sen.  The company currently has cumulative revenues of RM118.8 million.

Trashing bad habits

Posted on December 25, 2011. Filed under: Waste |

-The Star-By TAN EE LOO educate@thestar.com.my

With more people dying each year from hunger-related causes, it is time for us to think of ways to stop food wastage and give away our unconsumed food to others.

THE two friends agree to meet at a fast food restaurant for a meal in the evening, but much of their food is left uneaten when they leave the outlet. Towards the end of the evening, a man walks in and heads straight to the restaurant’s kitchen where he carefully goes through the trash picking out half-eaten chicken wings and drumsticks, and puts them into a plastic bag .

The following morning, a group of village children excitedly await the man as he brings over the leftovers for them.

Yummy: Revathy, 6 (right) biting into a bun while her friend Tharani, 5, looks on. Both the girls from the Taman Megah Handicapped and Disabled Children’s Home, Petaling Jaya, have been fortunate to get a supply of bread and pastries from Tan who delivers them regularly. — AHMAD IZZRAFIQ ALIAS / The Star.

Some of them have food residue smudged over their faces and hair, but the hungry children are not concerned about hygiene.

While this scene may be typical of children scrambling for leftovers in city slums and villages, it was actually a recording from the short film Chicken Ala Carte.

Produced by Filipino environmentalist Ferdinand Dimadura in 2005, the film won wide acclaim at the Berlin International Film Festival 2006.

It may have been intended to address the issue of poverty and hunger, but it also highlights the issue of food that is wasted.

More than 25,000 people die of hunger-related causes every day, according to international relief organisation Stop Hunger Now (SHN). So instead of tossing leftovers and unconsumed food into the garbage bin, we should think of the people we can donate the food to.

Records show that more people die each year from hunger-related causes compared to AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

A report commisioned and released by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations in May, states that approximately one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year which comes to about 1.3bil tonnes, gets lost or is wasted.

Dr Sumiani Yusoff and PhD candidate Ng Chee Guan checking out the food waste at the university’s on-site waste treatment facility

Food losses and food wastage are two different things altogether, says the report. Food losses occurs at the production, harvest, post-harvest and processing phases due to poor infrastructure, low levels of technology and low investment in the food production systems.

Food waste is more a problem in industrialised countries, often caused by both retailers and consumers throwing perfectly edible food products into garbage bins.

It is estimated that per capita waste by consumers is between 95 and 115 kgs waste a year in Europe and North America, as stated in the report, while consumers in sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia each throw away between six and 11kg of waste a year.

Our country may be known as a food paradise in the region, but there is also a great deal of food wastage.

We tend to take our food for granted because we don’t see the amount of hard work that is put in to grow and produce the food we eat every day.

According to Dr Theng Lee Chong, the national coordinator for the collaboration project between the Ministry of Housing and Local Government and the Environment Ministry, Japan, food waste is about 50% of the total waste in Malaysia.

Food waste can be defined in four categories: food residue, kitchen waste (from preparation of meals), unconsumed waste (e.g. hotel buffet), and expired food, says the waste management specialist.

“Food residue and kitchen waste are inevitable. But unconsumed waste and expired food are a problem which makes up 10 to 15% in the total food waste generated in the country,” he adds. In Kuala Lumpur, the total waste comes up to about 3,000 tonnes every day, of which about 1,500 tonnes are food waste.

In fact, he says, food waste can be as high as 70% at the landfill site but he points out that this is because many recyclable materials are recovered but most of the food waste is disposed.

For a good cause: Hoh sorting out the pastries and bread with an assistant before distributing them to welfare home representatives.

Several canteen operators say that they are glad to give any food that has not been sold to those in need.

“I will usually keep the food for the cleaners or workers who want it, because it will be a shame to just throw food that is still edible. However, if they don’t come and collect it, I will have to throw it away,” says the canteen operator, who declined to be named.

A worker who handles fruits and vegetables at a supermarket says fruits and vegetables that are not so fresh are normally sold at a discounted price. If there are no takers, they will end up in the bin as well.

Too much food

As the country ushers in the Christmas and New Year, the holiday season is often seen as a time of excess gluttony.

Dr Theng: Food waste is about 50% of the total waste in our country.

“We tend to be very lavish in food preparation and serving. If you don’t serve food or enough food to your visitors, you may not be seen as a good host,” says Universiti Malaya (UM) Assoc Prof Dr Sumiani Yusoff, whose area of expertise is environmental engineering and management.

While lavish wedding banquets and feasts are a popular choice among the Chinese to celebrate a couple’s union, Dr Theng says the unconsumed food ends up in garbage bins at the end of the night.

“We normally get eight or nine course-meal at Chinese wedding receptions. Many guests have had a lot to eat by the time they get to the second last course. The fried rice is hardly ever touched before it gets thrown away,” he says.

Dr Theng says guests should be encouraged to pack the unconsumed food home to avoid wastage.

“If the host of a wedding dinner, makes an announcement urging guests to pack the unconsumed food home, the guests will not feel embarrassed because they have been given the approval to do so. This has been done before, and is an effective way to reduce food wastage,” he says.

Much of the unconsumed food comes from hotels. According to a recent survey, 81.3% of the hotels were found to dispose of their unconsumed food.

Many of the bigger hotels, because of their respective policies, do not allow for leftover foods to be taken away by their employees or guests.

“Just imagine the amount of food after a buffet lunch or dinner that is still ‘untouched’ which can still be eaten by many people,” says Dr Theng.

To effectively reduce the issue of food waste, National Solid Waste Management Department director-general Datuk Dr Nadzri Yahaya says the department is looking at the possibility of setting up a food bank next year.

The food bank will facilitate the distribution of unconsumed food to welfare groups. By doing so the food will not go to waste.

As the project coordinator, Dr Theng encourages bakeries, hotels, hypermarkets and volunteers to take part in the project.

“The concept is to distribute food that otherwise would have gone to waste. We need to make sure that we have a system to ensure the food that comes in get delivered to the welfare groups in the fastest time possible.”

The department has also carried out a study to look at the amount of food waste being generated everyday in Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley.

With so much food thrown away Dr Nadzri says that it is perhaps time to look into the feasibility of building an anaerobic digester to turn waste into compost and renewable energy.

Action plan

There are many practices that we can emulate and learn from developed countries. Many of these nations have already initiated plans to minimise food wastage, says environmental management experts.

With a touch of creativity, the issue of food waste can be minimised effectively.

“In Japan, for example, many restaurants in Tokyo are adopting a new approach in reducing food waste by offering customers a choice for food portions,” says Dr Theng.

“If you order a don (rice) of standard size, the restaurant will charge you at normal price. However, if you want to order a smaller portion (that is if you are certain that you are unable to finish standard size portions) the eatery will give a discount of about 50 yen. If you ask for a bigger portion, you will get that at no extra cost,” says Dr Theng, who made the observation during his recent trip to Japan.

Recalling her experience of attending a seminar in Japan, Dr Sumiani says she was given coupons during the lunch break to buy food at the participating outlets.

“With the coupons, you can choose and buy food that you want to eat, and the portion is just enough for you. It is a win-win situation, instead of a common buffet style seminar lunch break” she says.

In Malaysia, food is always prepared on a lavish scale for participants at international conferences as it is a way of demonstrating hospitality, she adds.

“In Japan, the United States and Denmark, event organisers for conferences opt to give participants snack bars, sandwiches and fruits. It’s healthier and there is minimal food wastage,” says Dr Sumiani.

As the FAO report suggests, education in schools and political initiatives are possible starting points to changing consumer attitudes.

Dr Sumiani, says individuals need to behave responsibly.

“Malaysians love buffet and people want to get value for money so when they go for buffet, they tend to pile up their food up on their plates,” she says.

Education and awareness from a young age are vital in reducing food waste.

“Malaysians have to be educated and aware of the consequences of their lifestyle, food intake, over consumption and production of food. Buy or consume only the amount you can eat,” she says.

At UM, a zero trash campaign has been started to promote recycling (phase 1) and reduce food waste (phase 2) that will otherwise end up at landfill sites.

Dr Sumiani says the initative was started as a class project in 2008, and has been developed into a university project. About 200kg of food waste is composted daily at the on-site treatment facilities.

“Our plan is to make it a sustainable project which should work like a training centre so that the public can come to us and learn how food waste is managed,” she says.

Free refuse bins

Posted on December 20, 2011. Filed under: Waste |