Composting the way to go: Japanese environmentalist Prof Dr Kouji Takakura gave a talk to about 50 representatives of Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Corporation (PPSPPA) at its headquarters in Bangsar.
THE authorities want to encourage composting nationwide to reduce household waste by at least 45% and ease the burden on landfills. |
Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Corporation (PPSPPA) CEO Datuk Abdul Rahim Md Noor said it would take a lot of time and effort to create awareness among the public on the benefits of composting.
“Changing public behaviour is not going to be easy as Malaysians do not consider the consequences from the excessive waste they generate.
“As our country’s population continues to grow, so does the amount of rubbish.
“If we do not find ways to deal with it, we may struggle in the future,” he said after attending a workshop at the corporation’s headquarters in Kuala Lumpur recently.
The workshop was attended by about 50 representatives from PPSPPA.
Japanese environmentalist Prof Dr Kouji Takakura spoke on his method of composting food waste in households.
Prof Takakura said his method would enable kitchen waste to be turned into organic fertiliser for plants and trees.
With his method, he claims, only 2% of waste generated from kitchens will end up in landfills while the rest can be recycled and turned into organic fertiliser.
“In Japan, even those living in condominiums use the method to create their own compost.They can even sell it to earn extra income,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kitakyushu Asian Centre for low carbon society vice management director of solid waste treatment, Shinsuke Takeuchi said Malaysians should not fear the proposed incinerator in Kepong.
“In Japan, we have about 1,300 incinerators and some have been in operation for 60 years.
“There is always a concern about the risks involved, but the newest incinerators are so advanced, they can contain the toxic gas and waste water generated so there is no air or water pollution,” he said when asked about his view on incinerators.
He said for a city like Tokyo, which generates about 2,000 tonnes of rubbish daily, there were three incinerators to meet demand.
“It is expensive initially to set up the facility as well as burn the rubbish.
“But we can recover half the cost incurred in burning the waste from selling the electricity produced as well as other by-products,” he said.
He said protests by those living near a proposed incinerator site was common, even in Japan, but they dealt with it in a positive, open and transparent manner.
He said several cities in Malaysia, including Kuala Lumpur and Malacca, would do well to put less stress on their landfills.
He added that even if incinerators were in use, the people must also practise recycling their rubbish and composting food waste.
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