MP SPEAKS | Food waste should be separated at source

MP SPEAKS | In Malaysia, an average of about 38,000 metric tonnes of solid waste is sent to more than 100 landfills daily, of which up to 45 percent is food waste.

Based on this trend, by 2050, Malaysia’s landfills may face a saturation crisis. The authorities and operators are actively seeking solutions for sustainable treatment systems.

Many people do not know that food waste sent to landfills produces a large amount of methane gas, which has a global warming power 21 times that of carbon dioxide, which means that methane from food waste will exacerbate global warming.

The source of food waste comes from homes, restaurants, supermarkets, food suppliers, food producers, schools, hotels, etc.

If food waste is collected separately from general garbage, it will reduce the amount of garbage sent to landfills and relieve the pressure on landfills.

Food waste can be recycled into feed or organic fertiliser through methods such as black soldier flies, composting, and food waste processors.

In conjunction with World Environment Day today, the office of Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung and Mentari Alam Eko (M) Sdn Bhd (Maeko, a food waste composting company) donated a total of 160kg of organic fertilisers to four community farms in Petaling Jaya to promote the environmental awareness of "loving the earth, turning food waste into treasure".

It is also to encourage organic farming in urban communities to promote a greener and more sustainable society.

A total of 160kg of compost can stop 800kg of food waste from being sent to landfills. Not just that, the compost, which was food waste, can be used to produce organic food again.

Circular food-to-soil-to-food ecosystem

While I applaud the efforts of the government in supporting the construction of waste-to-energy (WTE) plants to replace landfilling practices, I am advocating that food waste should be separated from the source.

It is a much better practice because 45 percent of total waste generated can be put to better use, resulting in more efficient heat generation at the plant, reduced transport costs (thus emission), as well as creating a positive circular food-to-soil-to-food ecosystem.

In conjunction with World Environment Day, let us demand the government to take a holistic and more sustainable approach towards waste management.

LEE CHEAN CHUNG is Petaling Jaya MP.

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