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Transforming food waste into fertiliser

Wholesale market's waste-to-compost factory lauded

By Loong Meng Yee

 

The daily average of 10 tonnes of vegetable and fruit waste from the Selangor wholesale market in Seri Kembangan is processed in situ under a pioneering waste-to-compost fertiliser programme.

The pilot project by state subsidiary PKPS Agro Industries Sdn Bhd started last year.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo had advised that waste be reduced, reused and recycled as much as possible.

Waste management is a serious concern for the state as land is scarce for landfills.

About 4,000 tonnes of waste is generated daily by Selangor folks.

At the Selangor wholesale market, the traders dump their vegetable and fruit waste into special bins.

The waste is carted to the composting factory located behind the market. The waste is ground and mixed with goat faeces to facilitate the composting process that takes 45 days.

Then, the compost is put through a machine to eliminate debris such as plastic before it is packed and sold as fertiliser.

"This is a relatively clean process. There is no smell to mar the neighbourhood," said Selangor state executive councillor Datuk Ch'ng Toh Eng who visited the market recently to check on the composting process.

He urged the public to adopt the reduce, reuse and recycle lifestyle, adding that people should explore ways to minimise waste.

"Take the composting process as an example, with a little effort and planning, we have successfully turned vegetable and food waste into fertiliser," said Ch'ng.

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