Here is an interesting piece from the Malaysian Star Online.

Wouldn‘‘t it be great if we could return our waste to the land, rather than turning more space into wasteland?

Landfills and incinerators could be phased out, and none too soon. Rapid land development is making space scarce. If you wouldn‘‘t want to live in a dump, you probably won‘‘t want to live next to one. And there is no justification in converting existing waste into even more waste, in light of available alternatives.

In Kota Kinabalu, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and Happy Soil Sdn Bhd have embarked on a timely collaboration to refine a large-scale organic waste composting system. The two sealed the deal with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) last December.

Through the system, organic waste, in this instance food waste, can be converted into compost much more quickly compared to conventional methods, producing high quality compost without the typical accompanying unpleasant odours.

The fruits of the partnership should be available on the mass market by the time this year is out. Happy Soil and UMS intend to target hotels, refectories (e.g. in hostels and schools) and markets, as well as work hand in hand with town councils, starting with the Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK).

Composting potential

The potential for composting in Sabah is great. To begin with, it is Malaysia‘‘s largest agricultural state and would benefit directly from composting activities. More importantly, Kota Kinabalu‘‘s population of over 370,000 generates 250 tonnes of rubbish daily. The city is expanding and time is running out. DBKK reckons its main landfill in Kayu Madang, Telipok, will reach capacity in three years. Members of the Environmental Action Committee (EAC) Sabah conservatively predict it will last about half that time. According to a recent article in the Sabah Times, the 9 ha dumpsite has been in operation for only seven years of its originally projected 15-year lifespan.

A study jointly undertaken by DBKK and the Danish Co-operation for Environment and Development in 2000 reported that of the total waste material generated in Kota Kinabalu, 45% consisted of organic materials, 50% were recyclable materials such as paper, plastic, glass and metals, and a mere 5% was considered non-recyclable.

Going by these figures, a staggering 95% of the waste need not be languishing on roadsides and in landfills, polluting the environment. And it wouldn‘‘t, if Dr Henry Chok has his way.

"Whatever is biodegradable goes back to mother nature, whatever isn‘‘t goes back to father factory," is his mantra.

Chok, managing director of Happy Soil, is a staunch environmentalist. "We are concerned about the problem of littering and garbage, and we are trying to go into composting. We‘‘re teaching people how to compost at home, and in the local government."Now DBKK is hauling 100% of garbage from homes. When this system is implemented, nearly half of the waste need not be hauled and can be turned into compost, which will go back into the soil. Think of how much that will save them!"

Food waste can even be converted into fertiliser. A fertiliser must have, among other things, the right NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus and kalium) composition.

The technology

Two research arms of UMS are currently involved in the collaboration - the School of Engineering and Information Technology and the Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ITBC).

The research effort is targeting the two system‘‘s components: the mechanical and the microbial.

Ideris Zakaria: "We believe we have the capacity to develop and improve the technology." On the mechanical side, a decorticator/shredder is used to shred food waste into a ho