In Malaysia, after breaking their Ramadan fast outside a mosque, people toss their leftovers into a machine that turns the food waste into organic fertilizer for crops.
The minuscule government initiative in the central state of Pahang attempts to reduce waste, particularly during the Muslim holy month when massive volumes of food are discarded daily.
During Ramadan, the mobile machine was set up at a park in the heart of the state capital Kuantan, where many families meet every evening to feast on local dishes after a day of fasting.
“It processes 25 kilogrammes (55 pounds) of scraps per day”, said Sharudin Hamid, the state director of Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation, which launched the pilot project last year.
The amount is a small fraction of the more than 13,000 tonnes of food that is sent to landfills around the Muslim-majority country each day, even more during Ramadan, but Sharudin said it is helping to raise awareness about food wastage.
Sharudin went on to say, “The main objective is to ensure that the waste is not sent to landfills”.
“This has had a significant impact on us, as people are becoming more aware of environmental conservation, especially in terms of food waste reduction”, Sharudin continued.
Food leftovers are placed into the machine, which progressively mixes them with rice husks and sawdust for 48 hours.
The brownish-colored waste is then bagged and distributed to farmers for use as fertilizer on their crops.
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