Thaipusam: MBPP To Implement Food And Organic Waste Management Initiatives

GEORGE TOWN, Jan 28 (Bernama) -- As part of its ongoing commitment to sustainable waste management, the Penang City Council (MBPP) will implement several initiatives aimed at managing food and organic waste during the Thaipusam celebration on Feb 1.

Mayor Datuk A. Rajendran said previous data showed that about 100 tonnes of solid waste were generated over the festival period, including an estimated 20 to 30 tonnes of food waste during the peak days of Thaipusam on the island.

“Thaipusam is one of the biggest religious festivals celebrated every year in Penang, and although it holds great cultural and religious significance, it also generates a large amount of waste in a short period.

“Following this, MBPP will implement several initiatives, including processing food waste along Jalan Utama, converting coconut waste into green fuel and treating milk waste using an Anaerobic Digester (AD),” he said in a statement today.

He said that MBPP would implement a pilot project using a food waste separator machine and urged all panthals providing food to the public to dispose of waste only in the designated bins provided throughout Thaipusam.

Rajendran said the green bins would be collected by MBPP workers and taken to Jalan Utama to be processed using the machine, which separates food waste into water, used oil, and dry food waste.

He added that the initiative was expected to reduce food waste by 50 to 60 percent, with the dry food waste processed into compost, supporting the circular economy policy.

“Coconut waste that was previously disposed of at the landfill will be used as an alternative fuel, with about 30 to 40 tonnes expected to be converted,” he said.

As for the milk waste, Rajendran said that MBPP had informed the Hindu Endowment Board that it should be sent to Ampang Jajar to be processed using the AD to generate green energy.

Meanwhile, he said MBPP would deploy nine enforcement officers to carry out anti-littering monitoring from Jan 31 to Feb 3 and provide 27 additional waste bins at key locations along the procession route and temple areas for the Thaipusam celebration.

According to him, an educational enforcement approach would be implemented first to raise public awareness of the importance of maintaining cleanliness throughout the festival.

He said anyone deliberately failing to follow the rules and caught littering may be fined between RM250 and RM500 under Section 47(1) of the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974.

--BERNAMA