Malaysian State uses Ramzan month to promote conversion of leftover food to organic fertilisers
After breaking their Ramzan fast outside a mosque in Malaysia, people throw their leftovers into a machine that converts the food scraps into organic fertilizer for crops.
The modest government initiative in the central State of Pahang aims at reducing wastage, especially during the Muslim holy month when huge amounts of food are thrown away daily.
The mobile machine has been deployed at a park in the heart of State capital Kuantan during Ramzan where many families gather every evening to feast on cheap local dishes after a
A person throws food waste into a composting machine in Kuantan, in Malaysia’s Pahang State on April 3.
day of fasting. It processes 25 kg of scraps a day, said Sharudin Hamid, the State director of Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation, which started the pilot project last year.
The amount is a tiny fraction of the more than 13,000 tonne of food sent to landfills around the Muslimmajority country every day, even more during Ramzan, but Mr. Sharudin said the project was increasing awareness about food wastage.
‘Raising awareness’
“The main objective is to ensure that the waste is not sent to landfills,” Mr. Sharudin said. “This has had a significant impact on us, as people are becoming more aware of environmental conservation, especially in terms of food waste reduction.”
Food scraps are thrown into the machine where they are slowly mixed with rice husks and sawdust for 48 hours. The brownishcoloured waste is then packaged and given to farmers to use as fertilizer on their crops.
“Things that grow from that fertilizer can also become food, which again can be composted into fertilizer. So there’s a natural cycle,” said Abdul Shukor Mohamad Salleh as he bought local delicacies at a Ramzan food market in Kuantan, one of many across the country.
On her small plot near the city, Zulyna Mohamed Nordin sprays organic liquid fertilizer derived from the recycled food waste on her vegetable, banana and pineapple crops. She receives 30 kg of the fertilizer every month and slightly more during Ramzan. “I have done away from using expensive chemical inputs since June last year. This is natural, organic, and boosts productivity,” Ms. Zulyna said.