Food waste separation begins
KOTA KINABALU: Food waste separation will be able to cut down as much as 60 per cent of the total amount of waste produced in a day, which will in turn reduce problems related to cleanliness and the environment.
This includes the stench and inconvenience brought about by leachates, especially in the process of collecting waste, blocked drainage problems, as well as pests such as rats, roaches, flies, and the like.
Starting off with 42 premises in the Damai Plaza commercial area, the Kota Kinabalu City Hall hopes that all other eateries will see the benefits of and become aware of the importance of installing food waste separation processors.
“By introducing the processor to these selected premises, we hope that others will be able to see its impact and how it will not only benefit in terms of a more hygienic and comfortable environment for them and their workers, but also the city and the environment as a whole,” said Mayor Datuk Yeo Boon Hai when launching the programme at the Upperstar Restaurant in Damai near here yesterday.
On the cost of installing the food waste separation processor machine, which varies according to size and capacity with RM7,000 currently being the cheapest available, Yeo hoped that food operators will see how insignificant the amount will be as compared to the vast benefits that would be reaped from such investment.
The machine uses the technology of combining enzyme and microbes which processes food waste in about four hours and turns them into water before channeling them into an outlet.
Although City Hall had introduced the programme since 2010, particularly in individual food premises and those in food court areas such as Anjung Senja, in markets under City Hall’s management as well as offices and schools, Yeo said that awareness on the importance of separating food waste is still lacking.
In Damai Plaza alone, he said the average amount of waste produced is about 5,200 kilogrammes per day, whereby 60 per cent of this number is organic or food waste.
Nonetheless, City Hall is hopeful that things will take a turn for the better, while looking at possibly establishing regulations to make it compulsory for premises to install food waste processors.
“We will see how the programme progresses in two to three years and if deemed necessary, we will implement it legislatively. But our hope is of course that it will not come to that and that we only need to use advisory methods,” said Yeo.
The prospects of others gradually picking up the awareness and habit of food waste separation are also extended to households, added Yeo.
“It is also our hope that someday, smaller size food waste processors will be made available for each household so that our problems pertaining to organic waste will be completely solved,” he said.
Meanwhile, Yeo informed that a committee consisting of local leaders had been set up to overcome hygiene and cleanliness problems in the Foh Sang commercial area.
“The first step following this will be to eliminate the breeding grounds of pests in that area by clearing the drainage, before we move on to implementing bigger cleanliness programmes, and subsequently introduce food waste separation programme there,” he said.
While Foh Sang is a well-known commercial area, cleanliness and hygiene awareness, particularly among those who operate there, are still very low, he added.
During the launching ceremony yesterday, certificates were presented to owners and representatives of participating eatery operators, as well as to the Upperstar Restaurant Damai owner, Liew Yun Len, as the official venue provider for yesterday’s event.