Penang City Council wins award for innovative waste management

Penang City Council (MBPP) and neighbouring Seberang Perai Municipal Council (MPSP) won first and second place, respectively, in the Composting Category at Malaysia’s World Town Planning Day National Awards ceremony on November 4th, 2015. Penang City is part of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition’s (CCAC) Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Initiative, which is looking to reduce methane and other short-lived climate pollutant emissions from waste dumps. Both Councils took home awards for dealing with organic waste by using Bio-regen food processing machines to convert food waste into liquid soil enhancers and for establishing centralised composting facilities and composting organic waste to be used in community gardens.

The Penang City Council (MBPP) won the first prize for its innovative approach to convert food waste at the point of generation into a valuable resource instead of garbage by using locally manufactured Bio-Regen Food Processing machines. Food waste and market waste is collected daily and fed into the machines, which grind the organic waste with a mixture of water and fermenter microbial solution. After 28 days of fermentation the waste becomes a bio-liquid soil enhancer for agricultural use. The slurry is collected by the technology provider, saving the council transportation costs as well as tipping fees to the landfill.

The Bio-regen machine has been successfully installed in six wet markets, seven school canteens, two high-rise residential apartments, a food court and a golf course canteen.  The machines use minimum space, are hygienic, clean, odourless, and attract no vermin. The fermentation process has negligible methane production, addressing short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) on site.

The technology is the most affordable to MBPP and Bio-regen machines in markets and schools are provided through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes by municipal councillors and voluntary organisations like the Rotary Club. The technology has proven successful and since being approved by the city council in 2011, has diverted a total of 597 metric tons of food waste from landfill avoiding methane emissions detrimental to the climate.

The Seberang Perai Municipal Council won second place for its successful implementation of two centralised food waste composting facilities, composting of green waste at the Ampang Jajar Transfer Station, and promoting compost making for community gardens. From June 2014 to June 2015 about 4,500 metric tons of food waste from 11 communities was composted.

Penang has also been the site of a under the MSW Initiative of a results-based funding mechanism. The goal in Penang was to incentivise household solid waste separation at source in order to maximise the quality and quantity of the source-separated recyclables and organic waste. The program was implemented as a pilot program in selected communities on both Penang Island and the mainland, and Penang State Government has subsequently decided to adopt the program and give flat rate incentives to each of the 5 pilot project sites.

The CCAC congratulates both Penang City Council and Seberang Perai Municipal Council on their achievements and awards.