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S. Saalah et al.
implemented, enforced, monitored, assessed and reviewed based on the key elements
of the EcoCampus Transformation Plan (Azril 2017a). Interestingly, UMS received
first place in the Special Award Category on Green Campus Sustainability in conjunction with the Green Campus Sustainability Convention on 25 May 2017 (Azril
2017b).
Waste management is one of the main concerns of EcoCampus. For instance, a
program to increase awareness on minimizing waste such as double-sided printing
and use of tumbler as a replacement for plastic bottles were actively conducted at
the university. Besides, an initiative for waste recycling can be observed with many
recycle bins available at every place. However, to the knowledge of the author, there
are no updated reports available on the actual waste generation in UMS.
Audit of waste in UMS was done in 2006 and found out that the organic waste that
mainly consists of food waste represented the largest percentage of 53% (Budin and
Praveena 2006). In Malaysia, about 80% of municipal solid waste (MSW) are food
waste, paper, and plastic (Aja and Al-Kayiem 2014). Food waste mainly consists of
carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and traces of inorganic compounds. The composition
varies in accordance with the type of food waste and its constituents. Proper treatment
and management of food waste is a challenge faced by any developing nation as
untreated and unmanaged food waste creates odour, hygiene concerns, and cause
adverse environmental impacts (Khoo et al. 2010). Therefore, appropriate methods
are required for the management of food waste.
Currently, various kinds of approaches were investigated in food waste processing
and management for societal benefits and applications. Landfilling and incineration
are not suitable for the disposal of food waste as food waste contains high moisture
and organic matter contents (Fan et al. 2016). Incineration of food waste consisting
high-moisture content results in the release of dioxins which may further lead to
several environmental problems. Also, incineration reduces the economic value of
the substrate as it hinders the recovery of nutrients and valuable chemical compounds
from the incinerated substrate (Paritosh et al. 2017). On the bright side, food waste,
in general, has high water content with various plant required nutrients and organic
matters but is non-toxic, and therefore, it is a good composting material.
The composting process is defined as an anaerobic biological process that depends
on a microorganism population, which converts the organic substance of the wastes
into stabilized humus and less complex compound. In composting, carbon and nitrogen compounds are easily transformed and used as energy and protein sources of
microorganisms, thereby producing heat, CO 2 , NH 3 , H 2 O, organic acids and mature
compost product at the end of the process (Bernal et al. 2009; Asis et al. 2017).
Composting is a process highly valued in waste management owing to its robustness
and the possibility of obtaining a valuable product with soil amendment potential
(Cerda et al. 2017). This approach is considered as among the most eco-friendly
and promising solutions for food wastes management. Composting of food waste
S. Saalah et al.
implemented, enforced, monitored, assessed and reviewed based on the key elements
of the EcoCampus Transformation Plan (Azril 2017a). Interestingly, UMS received
first place in the Special Award Category on Green Campus Sustainability in conjunction with the Green Campus Sustainability Convention on 25 May 2017 (Azril
2017b).
Waste management is one of the main concerns of EcoCampus. For instance, a
program to increase awareness on minimizing waste such as double-sided printing
and use of tumbler as a replacement for plastic bottles were actively conducted at
the university. Besides, an initiative for waste recycling can be observed with many
recycle bins available at every place. However, to the knowledge of the author, there
are no updated reports available on the actual waste generation in UMS.
Audit of waste in UMS was done in 2006 and found out that the organic waste that
mainly consists of food waste represented the largest percentage of 53% (Budin and
Praveena 2006). In Malaysia, about 80% of municipal solid waste (MSW) are food
waste, paper, and plastic (Aja and Al-Kayiem 2014). Food waste mainly consists of
carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and traces of inorganic compounds. The composition
varies in accordance with the type of food waste and its constituents. Proper treatment
and management of food waste is a challenge faced by any developing nation as
untreated and unmanaged food waste creates odour, hygiene concerns, and cause
adverse environmental impacts (Khoo et al. 2010). Therefore, appropriate methods
are required for the management of food waste.
Currently, various kinds of approaches were investigated in food waste processing
and management for societal benefits and applications. Landfilling and incineration
are not suitable for the disposal of food waste as food waste contains high moisture
and organic matter contents (Fan et al. 2016). Incineration of food waste consisting
high-moisture content results in the release of dioxins which may further lead to
several environmental problems. Also, incineration reduces the economic value of
the substrate as it hinders the recovery of nutrients and valuable chemical compounds
from the incinerated substrate (Paritosh et al. 2017). On the bright side, food waste,
in general, has high water content with various plant required nutrients and organic
matters but is non-toxic, and therefore, it is a good composting material.
The composting process is defined as an anaerobic biological process that depends
on a microorganism population, which converts the organic substance of the wastes
into stabilized humus and less complex compound. In composting, carbon and nitrogen compounds are easily transformed and used as energy and protein sources of
microorganisms, thereby producing heat, CO 2 , NH 3 , H 2 O, organic acids and mature
compost product at the end of the process (Bernal et al. 2009; Asis et al. 2017).
Composting is a process highly valued in waste management owing to its robustness
and the possibility of obtaining a valuable product with soil amendment potential
(Cerda et al. 2017). This approach is considered as among the most eco-friendly
and promising solutions for food wastes management. Composting of food waste